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Delaware  Water  Gap. 


THE 


ELAWARE  ^^ATER  ilAP 


#TS   fIcENEKY,   #TS   f^EGENDS, 


ITS   EAKLY   HISTOEY. 


L.  W.  Brodhead, 


Scenes  must  he  beautiful  which,  daily  viewed, 
Please  daily,  and  whose  novelty  survives 
Long  knowledge  and  the  scrutiny  of  years. 

COWPER. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
SllEKMAN   &   CO.,    PKINTERS. 


'F157 
D5|3g 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1867, 

By    L.   W.   BRODIIEAD, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
CAXTON  PRESS  OF  SHERMAN  &  CO. 


PREFACE. 


The  frequent  demands  for  a  book  descrip- 
tive of  the  scenery  and  the  places  of  interest 
about  the  Water  Gap,  has  induced  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  little  volume. 

The  addition  of  some  historical  account  of 
the  place,  historical  notes,  &c.,  to  the  object 
first  contemplated,  it  is  thought,  will  afford  in- 
terest to  a  portion,  at  least,  of  its  readers. 

The  story  of  Lover's  Leap  is  given  to  supply 
the  numerous  calls  from  the  younger  and  more 
romantic  portion  of  the  visitors  at  the  Water 
Gap  for  a  recital  of  the  legend  connected  with 
that  place,  and  which  could  not  always  be  satis- 
factorily rendered.  It  does  not  aspire  to  the 
dignity  of  an  independent  romance,   and   the  ^ 


IV  PREFACE. 

introduction  of  more  than  tlie  leading  actors  in 
the  story  was  purposely  avoided,  that  too  much 
space  might  not  be  occupied  in  illustrating  cer- 
tain historical  incidents,  for  which  there  is  little 
authentic  data;  but  which  are  believed,  how- 
ever, to  contain  some  elements  of  truth. 

The  beautiful  Legend,  written  by  Mrs.  E.  S. 
Swift,  will  be  read  with  interest  and  pleasure. 
In  granting  permission  for  its  publication  in 
this  connection,  that  lady  says :  "  I  love  every 
foot  of  ground  at  the  Water  Gap ;  to  me  it  is 
fall  of  pleasing  memories.  I  suppose  I  shall 
find  the  place  very  much  altered, — improved, 
people  tell  me;  but  Nature  has  been  so  lavish 
in  her  loveliness  there,  I  do  not  think  it  could 
bear  improvement.  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  your 
book  published :  it  has  long  been  wanted ;  the 
Water  Gap  being,  of  late,  as  familiar  as  house- 
hold words." 

The  hurried  preparation  of  these  pages  has 
led  to  the  contemplation  of  a  larger  volume, 
which  may  ere  long  appear,  giving  a  more  com- 
plete topographical  and  historical  account  of 
the  Water  Gap,  together  with  a  History  of  the 
Upper  Valley  of  the  Delaware. 


PREFACE.  V 

The  photographical  illustrations  are  fur- 
nished by  Mr.  Jesse  A.  Graves,  a  resident  pho- 
tographer, and  they  need  but  the  life  and  color, 
which  Mature  only  can  give,  to  be  perfect  repre- 
sentations. 

It  will  be  difficult  for  those  who  read  what 
is  here  given,  to  divest  their  minds  of  the  opin- 
ion that  it  is  written  in  the  interest  of  the  Kit- 
tatinny  House.  The  relation  the  writer  sustains 
to  the  place  would  make  the  inference  natural, 
hence  much  delicacy  is  felt  in  placing  it  before 
the  public ;  but  he  hopes  for  a  more  liberal  ap- 
preciation of  his  motives  on  the  part  of  the 
intelligent  class  of  readers  who  visit  the  Water 
Gap. 

He  has  only  attempted  to  furnish  that  which 
those  who  visit  the  place  constantly  demand, 
and  which  he  has  failed  in  inducing  those  more 
experienced  and  more  competent  than  himself 
to  undertake. 

Less  niention,  however,  is  made  of  the  House 
itself  than  one  less  interested  would,  perhaps, 
have  given ;  and,  as  to  the  places  described, 
they  have  but  to  be  visited  to  justify  all  that 
is  said  in  their  praise. 

1* 


VI  PREFACE. 

To  the  author  this  maiden  efibrt  has  been 
but  a  labor  of  love, — the  anticipation  of  gain 
in  anj  form  having  no  impulse, — as  most  of  the 
places  described  were  the  play-grounds  of  his 
boyhood,  the  rambles  of  his  youth,  and  are  the 
admiration  of  his  manhood. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Guide, xi 

Delaware  Kiver, 9 

Delaware  "Water  Gap, 12 

Kittatinny  House, 18 

The  Echo, 19 

Rebecca's  Bath, 19 

Eureka  Falls, .19 

Moss  Grotto, 19 

Caldeno  Creek, 24 

Cooper's  Cliff, 26 

Lake  Lenape, 26 

Table  Rock, 27 

Moss  Cataract,          ........  29 

Diana's  Bath, 29 

Caldeno  Falls, 29 

Lover's  Leap, 32 

The  Hunter's  Spring, 34 

Prospect  Rock, 35 

Mount  Minsi,  or  Pennsylvania  Summit,         .         .         .35 

(vii) 


VUl  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Sappers  and  Miners, 37 

The  Gaps  in  the  Mountain, 40 

The  Indian  Interpreter  (Tatamy),  .         .         .         .40 

The  Kev.  John  Brainerd, 41 

Mount  Tammany,  or  New  Jersey  Summit,    .         .         .  44 

Indian  Chief,  Tamanend, 44 

Sunset  Hill, 46 

Mount  Caroline,      ........  49 

Laurel  Hill, 50 

Blockhead  Mountain, 61 

Lovers'  Retreat,  or  the  Haunted  Pine,  .         .         .         .52 

Martin's  Rest, 55 

Church  of  the  Mountain,        ......  55 


Cherry  Valley  and  Fox  Hill, 70 

Stroudsburg, 71 

Cherry  Valley  and  Crystal  Hill,     .         .         ...         .72 

Buttermilk  Ealls, 73 

Marshall's  Falls, 74 

Bushkill  Falls, 75 

Trausue's  Knob, 79 

Castle  Rock, .80 

New  Jersey  Hills, 81 

Lake  of  the  Mountain, 81 

Indian  Graves, 82 

Indian  Relics, 91 


CONTENTS.  IX 


fj^EGKNDS. 


$ 

PAGE 

Winona  ;  or,  the  Story  of  Lover's  Leap,  ...  94 
Legend  of  the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  by  Mrs.  E.  S. 

Swift, 127 

Passage  of  the  Delaware  through  the  Blue  Ridge,  by  Dr. 

William  B.  Dey, 159 

Legend  of  the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  by  A.  E.  Brown,  163 


® 


^^ISTOmCAL. 


Early  Settlements, 187 

Anthony  Dutot, 190 

First  Visitors, 195 

Durham  Boats, 197 

Steamboat  "Alfred  Thomas," 199 

Eirst  Telegram, 202 

Railroads, 203 

Slate  Quarries,       .         .         .         ...         .         .         .  205 

Slate  Factories, 210 

Samuel  Preston's  Hypothesis  of  the  Delaware  Water 

Gap, 211 

Measurement  of  Depth  of  Water,  by  Franklin  Peale,  217 


GUIDE 

TO   THE   PLACES   OF   INTEREST. 

gelafoare  Mnkx  ^ap. 

See  from  the  river  in  boats,  from  the  carriage-road,  from 
Table  Rock  and  Lover's  Leap. 

Ilcbma's  gat^— (Kttuka  Jalb— Poss  Catarad. 

Follow  down  the  carriage-road  in  the  direction  of  the  Gap 
to  the  first  creek. 

Cooper's  Cliff— Cable  gock— f  iana's  gat^— Poss 
Cataratt — Calbeno  Jails. 

Pass  through  the  gate  in  front  of  the  Hotel,  ascend  the  first 
rise  of  ground,  turn  to  the  right,  and  take  the  direction 
of  the  White  lines,  which  can  be  seen  on  every  suitable 
rock  and  tree. 

ITober's  J'^ap. 

Follow  the  direction  of  the  Red  lines  till  you  intersect  the 
Blue  in  the  path  leading  to  the  Left 


€)^  Junter's  spring. 

Follow  the  Red  lines  till  you  intersect  the  White  leading  to 
the  Right. 

(xi) 


XU      GUIDE  TO  PLACES  OF  INTEREST. 


Follow  the  Ked  lines  till  you  intersect  the  Yellow  leading  to 
the  Left. 

Pount  Pinsi,  ox  llje  ^ennsglbania  Summit. 
Follow  the  Red  lines. 

^ixmtt  fill. 

Follow  the  direction  of  the  Fellow  lines  at  the  eastern  end  of 
the  inclosure  in  front  of  the  Hotel. 


Pouitt  Caroline. 

Follow  up  the  carriage-road  in  the  direction  of  the  village, 
and  ascend  the  highest  peak  in  the  rear  of  the  church. 


laurel  fill, 

Is  in  front  of  Mount  Caroline,  and  east  of  the  School-house. 

pount  Cammang,  or  ^efo  |erseg  Summit. 

Ascend  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  below  the  Slate 
Factory. 

^ake  of  llje  pomttairt. 

Take  carriage  to  Shawnee ;  ascend  the  mountain  from  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river  under  direction  of  a  guide. 

Persons  taking  any  of  the  carriage-rides  without  a 
driver,  will  obtain  directions  from  the  person  having 
the  carriages  in  charge. 


For  a  more  full  direction,  see  description  of  the  places 
you  wish  to  visit. 


THE 


elawat^e  watet^  l§)ap:, 


SCENERY. 

Delaivare  Hiver, 

Little  rivulets  dripping  from  rock  to 
rock  down  the  western  slope  of  the  Catskill 
Mountain  form  at  its  base  two  wild  stream- 
lets, too  small  and  uncertain  at  first  to  as- 
sume "  a  local  habitation  and  a  name,"  but 
being  fed  by  numberless  little  accessories,  at 
length  emerge  the  Mohawk  and  Popacton, — 
the  west  and  east  branches  of  the  Delaware. 
Rejoicing  in  their  new  creation,  and  gaily 
dancing  in  the  sunlight  down  declivities, 
forming  here  and  there  tumultuous  cascades, 
or  gurgling  through  ravines,  wander  away 
from  their  beautiful  mountain  source. 

In  parallel  windings  they  flourish  and 
grow  self-sustaining  and  self-important,  like 

2 


'^0'  I  \,!    ':  }  DEBAVABE  WATER   GAP. 

youth's  first  departure  from  the  parental 
mansion.  Away  they  glide  through  forest 
and  hidden  wilds,  such  as  where  the  hart 
goeth  "  panting  after  the  water  brooks,"  and 
on,  on,  until  the  music  of  their  cascades  re- 
verberating from  the  steep  mountain-side  is 
lost  in  the  distance.  A  hundred  miles  away, 
like  plighted  lovers,  they  meet,  embrace, 
and  are  commingled  in  one. 

From  such  a  beautiful  source  and  from 
such  small  beginnings,  we  have  the  noble 
old  Delaware,  the  poetry  of  rivers,  and  the 
love  and  admiration  of  its  "  original  peo- 
ple." 

The  point  of  junction  is  near  the  north- 
east corner  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  united 
streams  thereafter  form  its  eastern  bound- 
ary. The  place  of  the  union  of  these  streams, 
in  the  language  of  the  Indians,  was  beauti- 
fully significant.  It  was  called  by  them  She- 
JiawJcan,  meaning  "  the  wedding  of  the  wa- 
ters." At  this  point,  after  having  wandered 
so  far  from  its  parent  mountain,  and,  as  if 
desirous  of  returning  again  for  protection, 
the  stream  diverges  in  a  southeasterly  direc- 
tion, and  rapidly  moving  onward  receives 
the  waters  of  the  Lackawaxen  {Lechcwweh'- 


DELAWARE   RIVER.  11 

sinh),  whose  wild  ravines  echo  the  songs  of 
the  merry  raftmen.  Approaching  the  Blue 
Kidge  at  right  angles  it  reaches  it  again  at 
the  junction  of  the  three  States,*  having 
journeyed  in  its  wild  rambles  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  yet  being  only  half  that  dis- 
tance from  its  source.  Along  the  western 
base  of  the  mountain  it  flows  majestically 
onward,  lighting  up  field  and  forest,  and 
adding  a  charm  to  a  hundred  landscapes, 
diverging  from  the  ^' blue  hills"  at  times  to 
give  our  New  Jersey  neighbors  a  portion  of 
the  rich  valley,  and  again  washing  their 
rocky  base,  and  receiving  the  waters  of  the 
Bushkill  fresh  from  its  little  Niagara,  and 
then  Brodhead's  and  Marshall's  Creeks  (the 
prolific  sources  of  the  speckled  trout),  the 
unwearied  stream  at  length  reaches  the 
Water  Gap  to  add  the  climax  to  its  beauti- 
ful creations. 

The  forty  miles  of  the  course  of  this  stream 

*  Near  Port  Jervis ;  it  was  at  this  point  a  gentleman 
once  asserted  on  a  wager  that  he  could  prove  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all  present,  that  he  had  been  in  Jive  States  on  that 
day.  It  was  easy  to  see  how  he  could  have  been  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, New  York,  and  New  Jersey,  but  the  other  two  were 
jiot  so  clear  till  he  explained  that  in  the  morning  he  had 
been  in  a  state  of  single  unhlessedness,  and  was  now  in  a  state 
of  double  felicity. 


12  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

along  the  base  of  the  mountain  from  Port 
Jervis  to  this  place,  is  unsurpassed  in  the 
variety  and  beauty  of  the  pictures  it  pre- 
sents; and  taken  in  connection  with  the 
fine  character  of  the  roads,  the  numerous 
waterfalls  adjacent,  there  is  not  perhaps  a 
more  desirable  drive  of  the  same  extent 
along  any  river  in  the  country. 

Delaware  Water  Gap, 

The  great  geological  phenomenon  bearing 
the  above  expressive  though  not  very  eupho- 
nious name,  is  one  of  the  most  striking  scenes 
in  our  country,  and  is  a  subject  upon  which 
volumes  might  be  written.  The  chain  of 
mountains  known  in  general  terms  as  the 
Blue  Ridge,  ranging  nearly  parallel  with  the 
Atlantic  coast,  and  having  its  rise  in  New 
Hampshire  and  terminating  in  the  extreme 
Southern  States,  has,  in  each  State  through 
which  it  passes,  some  distinguishing  feature, 
as  the  White  Mountains  in  New  Hampshire, 
Qreen  Mountains  in  Vermont,  Catsldll  in  New 
York,  Harpers  Ferry  in  Virginia,  and  the 
Delaioare  Water  Gap  in  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Jersey. 


DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.  13 

The  waters  of  the  Delaware  at  this  point 
approach  the  mountain  with  a  gentle  cur- 
rent, and  gracefully  sweeping  from  the  north 
toward  the  east,  turn  suddenly  and  pass 
through  the  Blue  Ridge,  cutting  it  to  the 
base,  while  its  ragged,  sloping  sides  tower- 
ing up  to  an  elevation  of  1600  feet,  frown 
down  upon  the  river  as  it  calmly  pursues 
its  course  toward  the  ocean. 

Whether  this  immense  chasm  has  been 
caused  by  one  mighty  eruption,  or  by  a 
gradual  yielding  of  stratum  after  stratum, 
by  the  immense  pressure  of  the  waters  of  a 
lake  thousands  of  acres  in  area,  down  to  the 
present  bed  of  the  river ;  or  by  the  active 
dissolution  of  the  material  upon  which  the 
foundation  of  the  mountain  rested,  burying 
the  whole  mass  deep  in  the  gulf  thus  created, 
is  of  course  a  subject  of  mere  conjecture, 
and  can  never  be  satisfactorily  determined. 
The  depth  and  solidity  of  the  stratification 
on  either  side  of  the  chasm  would  seem, 
however,  to  favor  the  first  hypothesis. 

The  evidences  of  the  action  of  water  on 
rocks  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  present 
level  of  the  river-bed,  and  the  masses  of 
drift   forming   isolated   hills    and    alluvial 


14  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

banks,  indicate  lake-like  repose  in  the  coun- 
try now  drained  by  the  tributaries  of  the 
stream  above  the  great  gate  in  the  moun- 
tain barrier. 

The  Indian  name  of  Minisink, — meaning 
"  the  water  is  gone," — given  by  the  aborigi- 
nes to  the  level  country  north  of  the  Gap, 
and  extending  up  the  river  many  miles, 
would  seem  to  indicate  some  tradition  con- 
firming the  theory  of  a  lake  at  some  remote 
period  of  time. 

The  mass  of  matter  thrown  out  from  this 
chasm  must  have  deluged  the  w^hole  country 
south  of  the  "Gap"  for  many  miles  in  ex- 
tent; but  we  shall,  perhaps,  never  find  a 
Herculaneum  or  a  Pompeii  buried  beneath 
the  accumulated  debris,  although  some  fu- 
ture Boucher  de  Perthes,  delving  deep  ia  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  for  evidences  of  j^^^-his- 
toric  man,  may  here  find  some  relic  of  the 
stone  age,  very  like  those  now  so  plentifully 
found  upon  the  surface. 

The  two  following  paragraphs,  giving  an 
estimate  of  the  probable  amount  of  matter 
thrown  out  of  the  opening  forming  the 
"  Gap,"  &c.,  are  extracts  from  a  letter  writ- 
ten by  the  author,  some  years  ago,  for  the 


DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.  15 

Neiv  York  Sun,  portions  of  which  were  after- 
ward published  in  a  History  of  Northamp- 
ton and  Monroe  Counties : 

"  Estimating  the  height  of  the  mountain 
on  either  side  at  1600  feet,  the  width  of  the 
space  or  distance  between  the  mountains  at 
half  their  height  to  be  1000  feet,  the  whole 
distance  through  at  one  mile,  would  give 
the  enormous  amount  of  8,451,600,000  cubic 
feet,  a  sufficiency  of  matter  to  overwhelm  a 
township  of  ordinary  size  to  the  depth  of 
five  feet. 

"  Here  there  has  been  a  convulsion  that 
must  have  sliaken  the  earth  to  the  very  centre^ 
and  the  ^elements  to  give  signs  that  all  was 
lost.'  But  He  who  governs  the  world  and 
has  all  things  at  His  command ;  He  who 
holds  the  globe  by  the  might  of  His  power, 
can  remove  the  mountains  from  their  foun- 
dations and  bury  them  in  the  deep,  and  the 
great  machinery  of  the  universe  continue  to 
move  and  lose  none  of  its  functions." 

The  wonderful  phenomena  of  nature  wit- 
nessed in  every  clime,  setting  at  defiance  all 
human  theories  and  human  research,  seem 
to  exist  only  to  impress  us  with  the  majesty 
of  Omnipotence,  and  our  own  fallible  insuf- 


16  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

ficiency ;  and  the  great  geological  transfor- 
mations that  have  taken  place  in  the  pri- 
mary condition  of  the  earth's  surface,  and 
the  constant  mutations  still  continuing,  to- 
gether with  our  own  wasting  lives,  admonish 
us  of  the  instability  of  all  sublunary  things, 
and  that  ere  long, 

"  The  great  globe  itself, 
Yea,  all  which  it  inherit,  shall  dissolve, 
And,  like  this  unsubstantial  pageant  faded, 
Leave  not  a  rack  behind." 

The  Delaware  Water  Gap  may  have  been 
so  planned  from  creation.  We  are  told  in 
the  beautiful  language  of  inspiration :  that, 
''  He  putteth  forth  his  hand  upon  the  rocks. 
He  overturneth  the  mountains  by  the  roots, 
He  cutteth  out  rivers  among  the  rocks,  and 
His  eye  seeth  every  precious  thing." 

The  Gap  should  be  seen  from  the  river, 
from  Table  Roch^  Lovers  Leap,  and  from  the 
carriage-road.  Taking  a  small  boat,  at  the 
foot  of  the  cliff  on  which  the  hotel  is  situ- 
ated, and  rowing  down  over  the  quiet  waters, 
affords,  perhaps,  the  most  impressive  view, 
such  as  you  will  ever  remember  with  pleas- 
ure. You  can  better  realize  the  height  of 
the  mountain,  the  width  of  the  chasm,  the 


DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.  17 

serpentine  course  of  the  river,  and  the  force 
required  to  produce  the  dislocation. 

The  Gap  is  also  seen  to  good  advantage 
by  walking  down  the  carriage-road.  By  con- 
tinuing the  walk  to  the  Point  of  Rocks,  you 
have  the  view  from  a  variety  of  aspects, 
each  of  which  is  a  study,  and  must  give  in- 
terest and  pleasure  to  the  commonest  percep- 
tions. To  the  geologist  and  the  botanist, 
this  is  a  fine  field  for  the  exercise  of  either 
talent.  On  the  return,  you  have  a  view  up 
the  Delaware,  which,  though  of  an  entirely 
difierent  character,  is  a  pleasing  and  in- 
teresting one. 

Few  persons  from  the  cities  see  the  Water 
Gap  in  winter,  and,  therefore,  lose  some  of 
the  grandest  scenes  the  place  affords.  The 
snows  of  the  entire  season  accumulate  to 
the  depth  of  several  feet  on  the  top  and 
sides  of  the  mountain,  appearing  like  an 
immense  white  curtain  studded  with  clumps 
of  evergreen  trees,  suspended  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Pennsylvania  Mountain,  and 
reaching  to  its  base,  of  the  dimensions  of 
1600  feet  in  height  by  one  mile  in  length, 
as  seen  from  the  hotel.  The  ice  in  the  Gap 
acquires  great  solidity  and  thickness,  and 


18  DELAWARE    WATER   GAP. 

presents  an  impenetrable  barrier  to  that 
which  is  brought  down  from  the  upper 
waters,  by  the  first  winter  freshets.  It  ac- 
cumulates here  in  immense  bodies,  and  is 
piled  up  in .  confused  masses,  as  high  as  the 
grading  of  the  railroad,  unable  to  force  the 
solid  masonry  of  winter  in  the  narrow  gorge 
between  the  mountains.  It  is  not  uncom- 
mon to  see  these  broken  cakes  of  ice  piled 
up  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet  above  the 
water,  some  pieces  standing  upright  from 
ten  to  fifteen  feet  above  the  general  mass. 
This  condition  continues  until  the  return 
of  warmer  weather,  when  the  gateway  is 
forced,  and  the  whole  body  passes  out  with 
a  crashing  sound,  distinctly  heard  at  the 
hotel. 

Kittatinny  House, 
On  the  side  of  the  Pennsylvania  Moun- 
tain is  a  series  of  plateaux  or  geological 
steps,  and  on  the  first  of  these,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  180  feet  above  the  river,  stands  the 
Kittatinny  House.  The  spot  commands  a 
fine  view  of  the  windings  of  the  river,  and 
the  surrounding  mountains  and  hills;  but 
the  view  of  the  Gap  itself  is  incomplete, 
being  obstructed,  at  this  point,  by  "Block- 


KITTATINNY    HOUSE — REBECCA'S    BATH.         19 

head"  Mountain,  which,  however,  is  over- 
looked by  the  views  from  other  points  higher 
up  the  side  of  the  mountain.  The  situation 
is  well  chosen,  and  has  the  benefit  of  every 
breeze.  The  hotel  buildings  are  large,  though 
not  sufficiently  so  to  accommodate  the  annu- 
ally increasing  number  of  visitors,  and  more 
extensive  accommodations  are  in  contem- 
plation. The  places  of  interest,  hereinafter 
to  be  described,  are  mostly  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  hotel.  There  are  several 
boarding-houses,  distant  from  half  a  mile  to 
three  miles  from  the  Kittatinny  House,  viz. : 
"  Brainerd  House,"  by  Thomas  Brodhead ; 
''Lenape  House,"  by  A.  B.  Burrell;  "Glen- 
wood  House,"  by  Samuel  Alsop;  "  River 
Farm  House,"  by  Evan  T.  Croasdale;  "  Ana- 
loming  House,"  by  James  Bell;  and  "High- 
land Dale  House,"  by  Charles  Foulk;  also 
several  houses  at  Stroudsburg,  a  pleasant 
town  four  miles  distant. 


Mehecca^s  Bath — Eureka  Falls — Moss 
Grotto, 

On  the  road,  about  halfway  between  the 
hotel  and  the  Point  of  Rocks,  is  the  Echo. 


20  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

The  return  of  the  voice  from  the  opposite 
mountain  in  New  Jersey  is  well  defined  at 
the  parapet  which  borders  the  road.  Here 
you  cross  a  little  stream,  now  perhaps  very 
modest,  gentle,  and  almost  noiseless ;  yet  so 
sparkling  and  bewitching,  half  hidden  under 
the  canopy  of  greenwood,  and  at  times  dis- 
appearing beneath  the  moss-covered  rocks, 
that  you  almost  fear,  in  its  wild  rambles, 
such  ^^a  thing  of  beauty"  cannot  be  '^a  joy 
forever."  But  it  murmurs  on,  in  summer's 
heat  and  winter's  cold;  more  voluminous  at 
times,  but  never  less  beautiful.  So  coy,  so 
fickle,  and  yet  so  lovely  and  fiiscinating,  how 
very  apt  are  we  to  compare  it  to  one,  in 
our  mind,  of  the  lovelier  part  of  our  crea- 
tion. And  it  has,  too,  its  seasons  of  frolic 
and  gayety.  Now,  whilst  I  write,  "winter's 
icy  chains  have  bound  it,"  and  the  deep 
snows  have  borne  down  the  branches  of  the 
trees  that  skirt  its  way,  till  they  dip  low  in 
the  stream,  and  are  festooned  with  icy  pearls 
that  glitter  in  the  sunlight,  and  almost  make 
you  sad  to  think  they  cannot  endure;  but  a 
few  warm  sunny  daj^s  "  unbinds  the  silver 
rill,"  and  behold  the  modest  little  rivulet 


Rebecca's  bath.  21 

with  the  proportions  and  the  roar  of  a  cata- 
ract ! 

Up  this  ravine  are  located  "Rebecca's 
Bath,"  "Eureka  Falls,"  and  "Moss  Grotto." 
The  stream  has  its  rise  high  up  the  side  of 
the  mountain,  at  "'The  Hunters'  Spring," 
and  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  shut  out  for  the 
whole  distance,  causing  the  growth  of  mosses 
and  ferns  to  be  uncommonly  beautiful,  and 
the  strong  current  of  air  following  down  the 
course  of  the  stream,  makes  the  summer 
days  at  Eureka  like  those  of  autumn  else- 
where. 

The  railroad,  though  a  great  improvement 
over  the  old  method  of  reaching  the  Water 
Gap  by  stage-coach,  has  nevertheless  made 
some  innovations  upon  the  primitive  beauty 
of  the  place,  that  are  not  pleasant  to  con- 
template; besides  destroying  that  charming 
walk  once  studded  with  sycamores,  free  from 
underbrush  and  turfed  with  green,  situated 
between  the  base  of  the  cliff  on  which  the 
hotel  rests  and  the  river,  which  the  earlier 
visitors  delighted  in  calling  "Love  Lane," 
it  has  forced  the  carriage-road  so  far  up  the 
ravine,  at  Eebecca's  Bath,  as  to  destroy  much 
of  its  former  beauty,  and  caused  the  demo- 

3 


22  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

lition  of  many  grand  old  trees  below  it,  and 
all  along  the  river-bank,  under  whose  shelter 
passed  the  carriage-road  of  former  days. 

The  following  account  of  the  exploration 
of  these  places  was  written  by  the  late  la- 
mented W.  Arthur  Jackson  in  the  Hotel 
Register  in  1852.  "  The  Bridge  of  Sighs;' 
alluded  to  in  this  record,  heaved  its  last 
expiring  breath,  at  the  first  sight  of  the 
Irishman  with  his  pickaxe  and  shovel.  The 
place  was  destroyed  in  the  construction  of 
the  present  carriage-road : 

"  Notice  to  Visitors. 
"Monroe  County, ss. 

"  Be  it  remembered,  that  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1852,  the  fol- 
lowing named  persons,  to  wit :  Miss  R.  D. 
Smith,  Miss  Elizabeth  Nixon,  Miss  Lizzie 
Nixon,  Mr.  F.  C.  Foster,  and  Mr.  W.  A. 
Jackson,  all  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  or 
now,  or  late  there  residing,  did  with  great 
toil^  labor,  work,  and  diligence,  discover,  lay 
out,  survey,  and  explore,  a  certain  waterfall, 
cascade,  cataract,  stream,  basin,  and  grotto, 
being  and  lying  within  the  bounds  of  the 
county  aforesaid;    and  with  divers  instru- 


NOTICE    TO    VISITORS.  23 

ments  and  tools,  to  wit :  one  dull  axe,  one 
sharp  hatchet,  two  jack-knives,  and  one  pine 
tree,  did  thereto,  and  thereabout,  build,  con- 
struct, and  open  a  certain  path  or  public 
highway,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  all  foot 
passengers  and  pedestrians  forever ;  and  did, 
upon  and  over  the  said  stream,  erect  a  cer- 
tain bridge  or  causeway  of  rocks ;  and  then 
and  there  by  virtue  of  the  powers,  privileges, 
and  immunities  in  them  as  discoverers  of 
the  said  location,  by  the  laws  of  nations 
vested,  did  thereto  assign  the  following 
names,  to  wit :  to  the  said  falls,  the  name 
of  Eureka  Falls  ;  to  the  said  bridge  of  rocks, 
the  name  of  Tlie  Bridge  of  Sighs;  to  the 
said  bath  or  basin,  the  name  of  Rebecca  s 
Bath;  and  to  the  said  grotto,  the  name  of 
Moss  Grotto. 

''And  moreover,  at  the  same  time  and 
place  above  mentioned,  it  was  by  the  said 
parties  then  and  there  assembled  unanim- 
ously resolved  and  determined  that  the  said 
Falls,  Bath,  Grotto,  and  Bridge,  so  as  afore- 
said more  particularly  named  and  described, 
were,  and  the  same  are  pronounced  and  de- 
creed, and  shall  ever  hereafter  be  deemed 
and  taken  to  be,  in  all  respects,  superior  to 


24  DELAWAEE   WATER    GAP. 

all  other  Falls,  Baths,  Bridges,  and  Grottos 
whatsoever  and  wheresoever  situated  within 
ten  miles  circular  of  the  home  and  habita- 
tion of  William  A.  Brodhead,  Proprietor  of 
the  House  commonly  known  as  the  Kitta- 
tinny  House. 

"  Witness  the  hands  and  seals  of  the  said 
parties  hereunto  subscribed,  the  day  and 
year  last  aforesaid. 

Miss  R.  D.  Smith,  [l.  s.] 
Miss  Nixon,  [l.  s.] 

Miss  Lizzie  Nixon,  [l.  s.] 
Frank  C.  Foster,  [l.  s.] 
W.  Arthur  Jackson,  [l.  s.]" 

Under  this,  some  justly  complaining  indi- 
vidual has  written  the  following : 

"  The  Falls  may  have  their  name  from  you, 
And  be  worthy  of  survey  ; 
But  yet,  we  think,  'tis  justly  due 
To  point  us  out  the  way." 

'  Caldeno  Creek. 

Caldeno  Creek  has  its  rise  high  up  the 
side  of  Mount  Minsi.  After  tumbling  down 
its  rocky  precipices,  it  at  length  finds  its 


Eureka  Falls. 


etc 

I       c    <     «    c 

t      C       C      C  \C 
C  t         C       C  t 

(         c     c 


.# 


CALDENO   CREEK.  25 

way  into  the  valley,  and  after  gladdening 
the  inmates  of  two  or  three  scattered  farm- 
houses, runs  close  up  to  the  ruins  of  an  old 
sawmill,  still  offering  to  render  willing  ser- 
vice as  of  yore,  when  it  turned  its  limpid 
summersaults  around  the  giddy  wheel,  and 
reminding  its  old  companion  of  the  lively 
times  they  once  enjoyed  together,  but  the  old 
mill  being  too  dilapidated  to  respond,  the 
stream  heaves  a  sigh  over  departed  great- 
ness, and  passes  on,  meandering  through 
a  meadow,  dallying  in  little  eddies  to  give 
the  trout  a  chance  to  bask  in  the  sunshine, 
and  again  hides  itself  in  the  thick  woods. 
Cooled  and  purified  it  emerges  again  at  Moss 
Cataract,  where,  hesitating  a  moment  on  the 
brink,  it  dashes  away  over  its  mossy  bed, 
fills  Diana's  bath*  afresh,  gives  a  leap  over 
the  falls  of  its  own  name,  and  hastens  on  to 
the  Kittatinny  to  welcome  the  newly  arrived 
guest,  and  after  performing  its  office  in  the 
culinary  department  takes  a  final  leap  of  a 
hundred  feet  into  the  river. 


*  This  place  has  been  generally  known  as  "  Ve?ius'sBaih,'^ 
but  the  original  and  more  appropriate  name  is  Diana,  and 
as  such  will  hereafter  be  known. 


26  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 


Cooper^s  Cliff. 

For  a  morning,  or  after  dinner  walk,  you 
pass  through  the  gate  in  front  of  the  hotel, 
and  follow  up  Caldeno  Creek,  and  notice  as 
your  guide  the  white  lines  on  every  suitable 
rock  and  tree.  A  walk  of  a  few  minutes 
along  the  stream  brings  you  to  the  third 
geological  step,  to  witness  the  surrounding 
hills  mirrored  in  the  bosom  of  a  miniature 
lake,  partly  natural,  and  partly  artificial, 
known  as  "  Lake  Lenape."  Turning  from 
the  lake  to  the  left,  still  following  the  white 
lines,  along  a  well-defined  road,  a  distance 
of  about  one  hundred  yards,  you  observe  a 
path  to  the  right  leaving  yours  at  an  acute 
angle,  as  if  receding,  only  however  to  make 
the  zigzag  course  up  the  precipitous  eminence 
more  easy  of  ascent.  Follow  this  path  and 
do  not  say  it  looks  too  tiresome,  but  save 
your  breath  till  you  reach  "  Cooper's  Cliff," 
for  when  you  are  once  there,  you  will  have 
only  enough  left  to  exclaim,  "  How  beau- 
tiful !" 


TABLE    ROCK.  27 


Table  Hock. 


This  is  the  fourth  of  the  series  of  geolo- 
gical steps,  or  rather  it  is  the  commence- 
ment of  an  extended  plateau  of  nearly  hori- 
zontal rock  dipping  slightly  to  the  north- 
west, and  composed  of  red  shale,  not  inaptly 
called  "  Table  Kock,"  and  reaching  for  sev- 
eral miles  along  the  base  of  Mount  Minsi, 
cut  in  twain  by  the  passage  of  Caldeno 
Creek  at  Moss  Cataract.  Cooper's  Cliff  is 
about  three  hundred  feet  in  elevation  above 
the  hotel,  and  five  hundred  feet  above  the 
river.  You  will  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  leave 
this  spot.  Up  the  river  the  view  is  varied 
and  beautiful.  The  sweeping  curve  of  the 
mountain  ;  the  green  fields  cultivated  on  the 
sides  of  the  corresponding  hills  ;  the  islands, 
and  the  river  so  closely  hemmed  in  by  hill 
and  mountain  as  to  resemble  a  lake,  make 
altogether  a  picture  of  rare  beauty.  The 
most  distant  of  these  clearings,  and  covering 
the  summit  of  Shawnee  Hill,  is  Transue's 
Knob.  Looking  south,  you  have  a  fine, 
though  incomplete  view  of  the  Gap,  as  the  in- 
evitable Blockhead  Mountain  still  obstructs 
the  view.      Continue  on  the  eastern  edge 


28  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

of  this  plateau,  following  the  white  lines,  as 
before  indicated,  and  a  walk  of  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  over  a  mossy  bed,  brings  you  to 
that  portion  of  Table  Eock  commanding  a 
favorite  view  of  the  Gap. 

The  whole  scene  about  this  spot  is  pic- 
turesque. The  confused  mixture  of  forest 
and  hills,  and  cultivated  land  below  the  cliff 
on  which  you  stand,  form  a  beautiful  fore- 
ground to  the  finely  developed  proportions 
of  the  gorge  in  the  distant  mountain.  The 
tall  trees  at  the  base  of  the  cliff  present  no 
obstruction  to  the  view,  being  far  beneath 
the  elevation  on  which  you  stand.  The 
quiet  little  meadow  looks  as  though  it  had 
been  brought  hither,  and  not  made  from  the 
clearings  of  the  forest  surrounding  it.  It 
had  not  always  this  tame  appearance,  how- 
ever; not  many  years  ago  it  was  a  dense 
thicket,  so  filled  with  trees  and  wild  bram- 
ble as  to  be  almost  impenetrable,  and  was  a 
famous  resort  for  catamount,  and  other  wild 
animals,  then  infesting  the  neighborhood. 
The  father  of  the  writer  once  killed  at  this 
place  a  catamount  of  unusual  size  and  fero- 
city. Being  armed  with  only  a  small  hand 
axe,  and  accompanied  by  his  dog,  the  latter 


Caldeno  F 


LDENO    f  ALLS, 


MOSS  CATARACT — CALDENO  FALLS.      29 

was  attacked  and  soon  laid  prostrate.  Just 
as  the  beast  was  springing  forward,  the  axe 
was  thrown  with  such  force  and  precision 
as  to  disable  him,  so  that  he  was  easily  de- 
spatched with  a  club. 

Moss  Cataract— Dianc^^s  Bath — Cal- 
deno  Falls. 

A  few  hundred  yards  further  on  in  the 
same  general  direction,  and  guided  by  the 
white  lines,  will  bring  you  again  to  Caldeno 
Creek, — wilder  now  than  when  you  last  saw 
it  near  the  hotel,  because  farther  in  the 
woods,  and  livelier  because  it  has  more  room 
to  play.  When  you  are  fairly  down  by  the 
stream,  if  you  had  not  seen  the  well-worn 
path  leading  to  it,  you  would  almost  under- 
take to  say,  no  one  had  ever  been  here  be- 
fore you ;  so  untouched  is  this  picture  by 
the  hand  of  man,  so  perfectly  is  the  whole 
in  keeping  with  the  harmony  of  nature. 
Moss  Cataract,  Diana's  Bath,  and  Caldeno 
Falls,  are  all  found  in  this  wild  ravine,  and 
near  each  other. 

Moss  Cataract  is  a  slide,  or  rather  a  tum- 
ble, which  the  stream  indulges  in,  of  about 


30  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

a  hundred  feet  in  length,  down  the  slope  of 
Table  Rock  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five 
degrees.  This  smooth  rocky  bed  is  covered 
with  a  thick  green  moss,  not  so  abundant 
now  as  formerly,  as  frequent  depredations 
are  committed  upon  it  by  its  fair  visitors. 
The  ravine  is  hemmed  in  by  a  thick  growth 
of  rhododendrons,  and  beyond  these  by  tall 
trees,  so  that  the  sun  never  shines  upon 
Diana  either  in  her  morning,  evening,  or 
noonday  ablutions. 

In  the  centre  of  this  slide  nature  has 
carved  out  of  the  solid  rock*  this  little  basin 
for  her  favorite  goddess.  Was  ever  nymph 
so  honored  ?  "  You  feel  like  taking  a  bath 
yourself?"  Don't  you  do  it.  Diana's  ret- 
inue of  nymphs — whom  you  know  were  all 
sworn  to  celibacy,  and  by  this  time  are  very 
ancient,  and  perhaps  surly  maidens,  may  be 
secreted  in  the  thick  wood  keeping  watch 
over  the  sacred  precincts,  with  bow  ready 
drawn,  to  execute  the  full  measure  of  their 
wrath  against  you  for  such  a  desecration. 


*  This  basin  has  somewhat  the  appearance  of  having  been 
made  by  the  hands  of  men,  but  such  is  not  the  case.  It  is 
known  to  have  existed  in  its  present  form,  long  before  the 
phice  was  resorted  to  by  visitors  from  the  city. 


MOSS  CATARACT — CALDENO  FALLS.      31 

Caldeno  Falls  makes  the  third  of  these 
gems  of  the  romantic.  The  Falls  are  not 
like  those  of  Niagara — not  quite  so  much. 
And  this  reminds  me  of  an  equally  profound 
remark  of  a  lady  traveller :  "  What  a  most 
wonderful  place  would  be  the  Delaware 
Water  Gap,  if  Niagara  Falls  were  here  J' 

Caldeno  received  its  title  in  1851,  by 
using  the  last  three  letters  in  the  names  of 
the  three  following  gentlemen,  who  then 
visited  it : 

C.  S.  Pas-cal 

C.  S.  Og-den 

Jos.  McD-oud — Caldenoud,  which,  by 
unanimous  agreement,  was  changed  to  Cal- 
deno. From  a  spot  so  entirely  secluded,  so 
cool  and  pleasant,  and  so  picturesque,  you 
part  with  reluctance.  You  can  return  by 
the  path  from  the  Falls,  and  reach  Table 
Rock  at  a  lower  point  than  that  by  which 
you  entered  this  place,  and  can  vary  your 
route  home  by  going  directly  across  Table 
Rock,  descend  the  cliff  by  an  easy  grade, 
and  take  the  road  through  the  little  meadow, 
which  leads  you  direct  to  the  Kittatinny 
House. 


32  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 


Lover's  Leap. 

Leaving  the  hotel  in  the  same  direction 
as  in  the  route  to  Caldeno  Falls,  and  after 
ascending  the  first  rise  in  front  by  Caldeno 
Creek,  you  turn  to  the  left,  and  observe  the 
stones  and  trees  in  this  direction  marked 
Red.  You  enter  the  woods  in  the  rear  of 
the  bowling  saloon,  by  an  open  road,  and 
after  a  short  but  precipitous  ascent,  you 
gain  the  second  elevation,  and  intersect  a 
wagon  road.  This  is  not  a  higliioay  in  the 
general  acceptation  of  the  word,  but  in  gain- 
ing some  of  the  elevations  reached  by  it,  you 
will  think  it  certainly  entitled  to  that  ap- 
pellation. You  have  now  a  pleasant  level 
walk  of  some  distance,  sheltered  from  the 
rays  of  the  sun  by  tall  trees,  and  skirted  by 
a  thick  growth  of  laurel  and  rhododendron. 
Just  before  entering  the  little  meadow  seen 
from  Table  E,ock,  you  pass  the  Cottage 
d' Africaines.  Proceeding  through  the  mea- 
dow, you  gain  another  elevation,  and  have 
another  level  walk  of  some  distance,  shel- 
tered and  skirted  as  before,  until  you  reach 
the  path  to  the  left   leading  to  "  Lover's 


View  from  ..  Loyer's  Leap. 


lover's  leap.  33 

Leap,"  marked  at  the  entrance  with  blue. 
Besides  the  romance  connected  with  the 
spot,  you  will  pronounce  Lover's  Leap 
worthy  of  more  than  one  visit.  The  view 
of  the  Gap  from  this  point  differs  from  any 
you  have  witnessed;  and  is  the  place  se- 
lected by  artists,  as  affording  the  finest  pic- 
ture. That  peculiar  sweep  in  the  river  is 
seen  to  great  advantage,  as  well  as  the  cor- 
responding curve  in  the  mountain  on  the 
Pennsylvania  side.  Could  "Winona,"  the 
Indian  Princess,  who,  tradition  says,  once 
stood  where  we  are  now  standing,  have  wit- 
nessed the  train  of  cars  as  it  emerges  from 
behind  the  mountain  in  the  Gap,  she  would 
readily  have  imagined  it  a  messenger  of  de- 
struction from  some  cavernous  vault — an 
infernal  region — deep  in  the  bowels  of  the 
mountain,  and  fired  up  by  the  fiends  in- 
habiting the  dismal  abode ;  and  that  it  had 
been  sent  forth  to  devastate  and  depopulate 
the  earth's  surface. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  spot  selected 
by  Winona  for  the  execution  of  the  fatal 
"  leap,"  is  not  so  favorable  as  some  others 
near,  as  for  instance,  Prospect  Eock;  but  as 
Winona,  being  the  most  interested  party, 


34  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

saw  fit — perhaps  in  her  great  haste, — to  im- 
mortalize the  place,  we  have  no  discretion 
in  the  matter.  But  more  of  Winona  here- 
after. We  will  now  continue  our  rambles, 
and  have  the  story  of  Lover's  Leap  when 
we  have  finished  them. 


TJie  Hufiter^s  Spring. 

You  will  now  retrace  the  pathway  from 
Lover's  Leap  to  the  point  of  intersection 
with  the  road,  and  follow  the  red  lines,  A 
walk  of  half  a  mile  brings  you  opposite 
"The  Hunter's  Spring."  Now  follow^  the 
lohite  lines  on  a  path  leading  to  the  right, 
and  in  a  few  rods'  walk  from  the  road,  you 
reach  this  wild  secluded  spot,  where  many 
a  "  Lenape"  huntsman,  as  well  as  those  of 
modern  times,  have  been  refreshed,  and 
have  lain  in  wait  for  the  deer  as  they  came 
panting  for  the  cooling  waters.  The  Hun- 
ter's Spring  is  the  source  of  the  rivulet  that 
has  its  turbulent  course  down  the  mountain 
to  the  river,  and  which  gives  to  the  roman- 
tic ravine  its  life  and  beauty. 


SUMMIT    OF   MOUNT    MINSI.  35 


I^rospect  Mock. 

At  the  road  opposite  the  Hunter's  Spring 
you  take  the  direction  of  the  red  lines,  as 
before,  and  enter  the  first  path  bearing  to 
the  left,  and  observe  the  yellow  lines  indi- 
cating the  direction  to  Prospect  Rock,  which 
is  gained  by  a  pretty  steep  but  not  difficult 
walk  of  about  four  hundred  yards.  This 
bare  platform,  though  still  much  below  the 
summit  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  of  which  it  is  a 
plication,  enables  the  visitor  to  enjoy  one  of 
the  finest  views  of  the  Delaware.  The  pros- 
pect up  the  river  extends  beyond  the  isl- 
ands to  the  distant  hills,  and  the  mountain, 
through  which  the  river  winds  its  devious 
way. 

The  Hotel  and  surroundings  are  distinctly 
seen,  even  to  the  guest  of  the  house,  remain- 
ing behind,  waving  signals  from  the  river 
balcony  in  response  to  yours,  indicating  your 
arrival  at  Prospect  Rock. 

Summit  of  Mount  3Iinsi. 

After  you  have  sufficiently  rested  at  Pros- 
pect Rock,  proceed  in  the  direction  of  the 


36  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

red  lines,  and  do  not  be  persuaded  that  the 
ascent  to  the  Summit  is  too  difficult.  Hun- 
dreds of  ladies  and  gentlemen  have  gone 
before  you,  and  few  have  regretted  the  un- 
dertaking. 

The  journey  is  somewhat  tiresome,  and 
at  places  a  little  difficult;  but,  by  resting 
occasionally,  it  can  be  overcome  without 
great  fatigue.  The  distance  to  the  Summit 
is  about  one  mile  from  Prospect  Rock,  and 
three  miles  from  the  Hotel. 

This  portion  of  the  Kittatinny  is  named 
"  Mount  Minsi,"  from  a  particular  branch  of 
the  Lenape  Indians  inhabiting  the  "Mini- 
sink  country  "  (valley  of  the  Delaware,  north 
of  the  mountain).  It  is  difficult  to  do  full 
justice  to  a  description  of  this  view.  It 
must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  You  over- 
look an  extent  of  country  to  the  south  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  a  scene  composed 
of  mountains  and  hills  in  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania,  villages,  and  farm-houses,  cul- 
tivated fields,  groves  of  woodland,  and  prim- 
itive forests ;  the  river  in  its  sinuous  journey 
filling  up  the  picture. 


SAPPERS   AND    MINERS.  ■  37 

Sappers  and  Miners. 

The  Summit  is  also  known  as  "  Sappers* 
View,"  so  named  by  a  party  of  gentlemen 
organized  many  years  ago  under  the  title  of 
"  Sappers  and  Miners,"  and  who  until  the 
last  year  or  two,  made  the  annual  ascent  to 
the  "  Summit,"  placing  the  dear  old  flag  on 
the  highest  tree  to  be  seen  from  the  Hotel, 
as  well  as  one  on  the  Summit.  The  view 
on  the  north  side  of  the  mountain  is  called 
'-  Miners'  View."  The  object  of  the  organ- 
ization was  primarily  to  open  up  some  places 
of  interest,  not  before  easily  accessible ;  and 
to  honor  "  The  Flag,"  by  displaying  its  folds 
from  the  highest  tree  on  the  most  elevated 
peak  of  the  Kittatinny.  The  annual  gath- 
ering increased  in  numbers  and  in  interest, 
and  the  result  has  been,  that  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Sappers  and  Miners,  hundreds 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen  have  visited  "  Mount 
Minsi,"  who  would  otherwise  not  have  un- 
dertaken the  journey,  and  thereby  missed 
one  of  the  finest  views  in  the  country. 

Of  the  first  organization  we  have  no  rec- 
ord. The  first  appearing  on  the  Hotel 
Register  is  in   1858.     Previous  to  this,  it 

4* 


38  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

consisted  of  some  eight  or  ten  members,  but 
when  the  last  annual  ascent  was  made,  the 
number  present  had  increased  to  seventy- 
five.  The  officers,  from  first  to  last,  ranking 
from  general  to  high  'private  in  the  military 
list ;  and  from  "  Historiographer  "  to  "  Pio- 
neer" on  the  civil  list,  number  about  one 
hundred. 

A  sufficient  number  of  ladies  accompany- 
ing the  expedition,  usually  remain  with  the 
commissary  at  the  Hunter  s  Spring,  to  have 
the  dinner,  to  be  partaken  of  there,  arranged 
in  a  manner  suitable  to  this  important  an- 
niversary, and  in  time  for  the  return  of  the 
main  party  from  the  Summit. 

After  the  repast,  an  hour  or  two  is  spent 
in  patriotic  speeches  and  songs,  when  the 
annual  election  of  officers,  presenting  of 
badges,  &c.,  take  place. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  officers  who 
have  at  one  time  or  another  served  in  the 
organization,  excepting  those  whose  initials 
merely  are  given : 

Gen.  J.  M.  Vance,  J.  D.  Orton, 

William  J.  McElroy,  Dr.  Bond, 

F.  Gulager,  Dr.  Allen, 

John  Siner,  Kev.  Mr.  Edwards, 

J.  E.  Chandler,  E.  M.  Benson, 


SAPPERS   AND   MINERS. 


39 


Eobert  Staley, 

J.  K.  Field, 

Morton  McMichael,  Jr., 

S.  M.  Lewis, 

A.  Engle, 

Philip  H.  White, 

W".  R.  Overman, 

H.  S.  Davis, 

A.  M.  Burton, 

E.  H.  Saunders, 
J.  Bassett,  Jr., 
George  H,  Brodhead, 
W.  H.  Eisenbrey, 
W.  B.  Knowles, 

A.  B.  Burrell, 
William  Murphey, 
C.  A    Jenks, 
L.  M.  Bond,  Jr., 
M.  Abbott, 

F.  Maben, 

H.  B.  Benners, 
R.  Dubois, 
J.  Dubois, 
Mr.  Lee, 
W.  H.  Davis, 
William  Field, 
Samuel  Williams, 
Rev.  Mr.  Wall, 
Mr.  Clarke, 
W.  M.  Hodges, 
M.  Poillion, 

G.  Baker, 

William  Leveridge, 
C.  D'lnvilliers, 


Thomas  E.  Bacon, 

William  McMichael, 

L.  Godey, 

G.  W.  Russell, 

G.  L.  Harrison, 

F.  A.  Drexel, 

P.  Ludlam, 

J.  Ogden, 

J.  S.  Taylor, 

Arthur  Pike, 

Edward  L.  Brodhead, 

Jos.  Wayne, 

Loring  Andrews,  Jr., 

M.  Sommerville, 

L.  C.  Simon, 

T.  B.  Belfleld, 

David  Birch, 

A.  A.  Hurley, 

H.  R.  Raiguel, 

S.  B.  Ely, 

S.  A.  Stearns, 

Rev.  Mr.  Cain, 

S.  P.  Godwin, 

H.  Kershaw, 

F.  C.  Hunnis, 

H.  Heberton, 

M.  Nagle, 

Mr.  Budd, 

Dr.  Dunscomb, 

M.  Masters, 

Thomas  McLean, 

William  McDaniels, 

Dr.  Ellis, 

Joseph  Siner. 


The  Rebellion  interrupted  somewhat  the 
regular  gathering  of  this  ancient  and  honor- 


40  DELAWARE    WATER   GAP. 

able  organization ;  and  some  of  the  young 
gentlemen  who  saluted  our  national  emblem 
on  the  heights  of  Mount  Minsi,  have  since 
honored  themselves  in  its  defence  against 
rebels  and  traitors. 


Gaps  in  the  Kittafinny  Mountain. 

There  are  five  depressions  in  the  moun- 
tain, called  "  Gaps,"  between  the  Delaware 
Water  Gap  and  the  Lehigh  Water  Gap,  over 
which  wagon-roads  pass,  and  from  all  of 
which  fine  views  of  the  country  on  both 
sides  of  the  mountain  are  to  be  had,  viz. : 
Tatamy's  Gap,  Fox  Gap,  Wind  Gap,  Smith's 
Gap,  and  Little  Gap,  and  distant  from  the 
Delaware  Water  Gap,  respectively,  in  the 
order  named :  21  miles,  5  miles,  11  miles, 
18  miles,  23  miles;  and  the  Lehigh  Water 
Gap,  29  miles.  This  is  estimating  in  a  di- 
rect line  on  the  mountain  from  one  Gap  to 
the  other.  Tatamy's  Gap  was  named  after 
the  Indian  family  of  Tatamy's  living  south 
of  the  mountain.  Moses  Funda  Tatamy  or 
Tetamy  was  an  interpreter  for  the  Rev.  John 


GAPS    IN    THE    KITTATINNY   MOUNTAIN.         41 

Brainerd,  the  faithful  and  zealous  missionary 
among  the  Indians.* 

The  late  M.  S.  Henry,  in  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Brainerd,  author  of  Life  of  John  Brainerd. 
says :  "  The  path  or  road  over  which  Mr. 
Brainerd  passed  was  the  general  thorough- 
fare from  Philadelphia  to  Albany,  the  near- 
est route  between  those  cities,  and  much 
frequented  by  travellers.  The  path  [road, 
^the  old  mine  road  '),  commenced  at  or  near 
Kingston,  thence  up  the  Esopus  Creek,  and 
down  the  Mackemack  (Neversink)  Creek  to 
the  river  Delaware,  which  it  crossed  seven 
miles  above  Milford,  in  Pike  County,  Pa., 
and  continued  westwardly  along  the  Blue 
Mountain  to  near  the  Delaware  Water  Gap, 
thence  to  the  Lehigh  Water  Gap  (through 
Cherry  Valley),  and  thence  in  a  nearly 
southwardly  course  to  Philadelphia." 

Brainerd  had  a  missionary  station  at  what 
is  now  known  as  "Allen's  Ferry,"  seven 
miles  below  the  Gap  on  the  Delaware.    The 

*  Brainerd  visited  the  Indians  in  the  Minisink  in  1743, 
and,  at  that  time,  none  of  the  "  Gaps  "  appear  to  have  been 
considered  passable  by  men  on  liorseback,  excepting  the 
Lehigh  Gap,  and  he  went  the  whole  distance  of  Cherry  Val- 
ley (30  miles)  to  reach  that  point  on  his  way  to  the  "  Forks," 
where  Easton  now  stands. 


42  DELAWARE    WATER   GAP. 

Indian  town  there  was  called  "  Sakauwa- 
tung,"  meaning  "  the  mouth  of  a  creek  where 
some  one  resides."  There  was  another  In- 
dian town,  called  "  Clistowacki,"  meaning 
"  fine  land,"  where  Brainerd  built  a  cottage 
and  lived  for  a  time.  It  was  situated  near 
"  the  three  brick  churches,"  in  Mount  Bethel 
township,  near  the  residence  of  Mr.  Baker, 
and  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  Delaware  Wa- 
ter Gap.  A  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
with  the  writer,  visited  the  place  last  au- 
tumn, and  obtained  information  relating  to 
it  from  persons  living  there  ;  and  in  the  sur- 
rounding fields  picked  up  a  number  of  Indian 
relics  of  the  stone  age.  The  Indian  burial- 
ground  is  near  one  of  the  churches. 

I  have  before  me  an  article  from  the 
"Easton  Journal,"  giving  an  account  of  the 
closing  career  of  '^  Tattamj^  Tundy"  (a  con- 
fusion of  names,  meaning,  no  doubt,  Moses 
Funda  Tatamy),  an  extract  from  which  is 
as  follows  : 

"  When  the  Mohicans  set  out  on  their 
pilgrimage  towards  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
a  lone  warrior  lingered  behind.  His  affec- 
tions were  so  riveted  to  the  land  of  his 
nativity  that  he  found  it  utterly  impossible 


GAPS    IN   THE    KITTATINNY    MOUNTAIN.          43 

to  abandon  it.  He  resolved  to  remain : 
^The  last  rose  of  summer,  left  blooming 
alone.'  The  proprietaries,  or  their  agents 
probably,  operated  upon  by  a  sense  of  the 
injustice  they  had  done  his  tribe,  suffered 
him  to  occupy  a  favorite  spot  on  the  Lehic- 
ton  Creek,  near  the  present  village  of  Stock- 
ertown.  Here  he  erected  his  wigwam,  and 
for  many  years  after  the  departure  of  his 
tribe,  Tattamy  Tundy  might  be  seen  steal- 
ing along  the  banks  of  the  Lehicton,  or  sit- 
ting before  his  wigwam  and  humming  the 
wild  war-songs  of  his  ancestors. 

"  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  the  hostile  Indians  made  frequent 
inroads  upon  the  frontier  settlements,  and  a 
change  of  residence  was  deemed  necessary 
to  secure  the  personal  safety  of  Tattamy. 
He  was  removed  to  Frenchtown,  on  the 
Delaware.  There  he  was  permitted  to  oc- 
cupy a  small  tract  of  land,  and  there  he 
yielded  up  his  spirit,  near  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War." 

Heckewelder  speaks  of  "  Tattemi,"  a  be- 
loved chief  of  the  Delawares,  as  having  been 
murdered  at  the  Forks  (Easton),  about  the 


44  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

year  1750,  by  a  foolish  young  man.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Tedeuskund. 

See,  also,  Journal  of  Moses  Titamy  to  the 
Minisink,  Penna.  Archives,  vol.  iii,  p.  504, 
who  also  acted  as  interpreter.  There  were 
probably  two  or  three  distinguished  persons 
of  the  same  name, — brothers,  and  sons  of 
William  Tatamy.  The  father  is  probably 
the  "  chief"  who  was  killed  at  Easton. 

Smith's  Gap  is  the  one  through  which  the 
party  passed  in  the  famous  Indian  walk.* 


Mount  Tammany, 

Mount  Tammany,f  the  New  Jersey  sum- 
mit of  the  Kitta tinny,  commands  a  view 

*  These  historical  and  biographical  notes  appertain  more 
particularly  to  what  is  contemplated  in  the  second  number 
of  this  work;  but  as  they  have  reference  to  the  places  de- 
scribed, it  is  deemed  not  out  of  place  to  insert  them  in  this 
connection. 

j-  Mount  Tammany  was  named  after  the  distinguished 
Indian  chief  Tamanend,  of  whom  Heckewelder  says :  "  Of  all 
the  chiefs  and  great  men  which  the  Lenape  nation  ever  had, 
he  stands  foremost  on  the  list.  But  although  many  fabulous 
stories  are  circulated  about  him  among  the  whites,  but  little 
of  his  real  history  is  known.  The  misfortunes  which  have 
befallen  some  of  the  most  beloved  and  esteemed  personages 
among  the  Indians,  since  the  Europeans  came  among  them, 
prevented  the  survivors  from  indulging  in  the  pleasure  of 


MOUNT   TAMMANY.  45 

similar  to  that  witnessed  from  Mount  Minsi. 
It  is  more  difficult  of  ascent,  but  less  broad 
on  the  top,  and,  therefore,  enables  you  to 
look  in  all  directions,  excepting  in  range 
with  the  mountain.  The  ascent  is  made 
from  the  carriage-road  along  the  river,  near 
the  slate  factory  in  the  Gap.     The  "  Indian 

recalling  to  mind  the  memory  of  their  virtues.  No  white 
man,  who  regards  their  feelings,  will  introduce  such  subjects 
in  conversation  with  them. 

"  All  we  know,  therefore,  of  Tamanend  is,  that  he  was  an 
ancient  Delaware  chief,  who  never  had  his  equal.  He  was 
in  the  highest  degree  endowed  with  wisdom,  virtue,  pru- 
dence, charity,  affability,  meekness,  hospitality,  in  short  with 
every  good  and  noble  qualification  that  a  human  being  may 

possess In  the  Revolutionary  War,  his  enthusiastic 

admirers  dubbed  him  a  saint,  and  he  was  established,  under 
the  name  of  *S'^.  Tammany^  the  patron  saint  of  America.  His 
name  was  inserted  in  some  calendars,  and  his  festival  cele- 
brated on  the  first  day  of  May  in  each  year.  On  that  day, 
a  numerous  society  of  his  votaries  walked  the  streets  of  Phila- 
delphia, their  hats  decorated  with  bucks'  tails,  and  proceeded 
to  a  handsome  rural  place  out  of  town,  which  they  called 
the  Wigwam^  where,  after  a  long  talk  or  Indian  speech  had 
been  delivered,  and  the  calutnet  of  peace  and  friendship  had 
been  duly  smoked,  they  spent  the  day  in  festivities  and 
mirth 

"Since  that  time,  other  societies  have  been  formed  in 
Philadelphia  and  New  York,  and  in  other  towns  in  the 
Union,  under  the  name  of  Tammany;  but  the  principal 
object  of  these  associations  being  party  politics,  they  have 
lost  much  of  the  charm  which  was  attached  to  the  original 
society  of  St.  Tammany." 

5 


46  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

Ladder"  was  not,  as  is  supposed  by  some,  a 
series  of  steps  up  the  side  of  the  mountain 
to  the  summit,  but  merely  a  passage  up  and 
over  the  high  sharp  projection  near  the  base 
of  the  mountain,  in  the  line  of  the  Indian 
path, — a  sort  of  promontory,  extending  into 
the  river,  terminating  in  an  acute  angle. 
The  ascent  and  descent,  on  the  north  side 
of  this  promontory,  was  by  steps  or  foot- 
holds in  the  rocks,  broken  out,  probably,  by 
stone-mauls;  and  on  the  south  side,  which 
was  more  precipitous,  by  climbing  a  tree 
with  the  branches  remaining  on  it,  placed 
against  the  sloping  side  of  this  projection. 
After  the  path  became  more  frequented  by 
the  early  settlers,  a  wooden  ladder  was  con- 
structed in  place  of  the  tree  used  by  the 
Indians.  The  present  wagon-road  was  cut 
through  this  rocky  promontory,  and  has  left 
no  traces  of  the  "  Indian  Ladder." 


Sunset  Hill, 

Whatever  may  have  caused  the  wild  dis- 
order existing  in  and  about  these  mountains, 
the  varied  and  irregular  appearance  of  the 
strata — at   one   place   dislocated   from   up- 


SUNSET   HILL.  47 

heavals,  at  another,  only  a  few  rods  distant, 
regular  and  horizontal — will  ever  continue 
to  be  an  inexhaustible  field  for  the  re- 
searches of  the  inquiring  geologist. 

"  Crags,  knolls,  and  mounds,  in  dire  confusion  hurled, 
The  fragmentary  elements  of  an  earlier  world." 

The  exposed  stratum  of  the  bluff  upon 
which  the  Hotel  is  situated,  is  broken,  but 
nearly  uniform ;  the  next  elevation  imme- 
diately in  the  rear  of  the  Hotel,  is  entirely 
horizontal,  and  to  all  appearance  as  undis- 
turbed as  when  the  plastic  mass  emerged 
from  beneath  the  quiet  waters,  where  by  the 
slowly  dropping  sediment  of  untold  ages,  it 
had  grown  to  its  present  proportions. 

Only  a  few  rods  to  the  east  of  these  un- 
disturbed layers.  Sunset  Hill  rises  high 
above  them,  and  is  a  confused,  disjointed, 
irregular  mass  of  rock  from  base  to  apex. 

The  dip  of  the  exposed  strata,  both  to  the 
north  and  south  from  the  summit,  is  at  an 
angle  corresponding  with  the  varying  de- 
clination of  its  surface. 

From  this  spot,  so  interesting  in  its  geo- 
logical structure,  is  a  view  composed  of  all 
the  varieties  nature  makes  use  of,  in  forming 


48  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

a  landscape  pleasing  to  the  eye.  To  the 
south  the  proportions  of  the  Gap  are  well 
defined,  and  from  this  point  Mr.  Darley,  the 
artist,  delighted  most  to  behold  it.  Looking 
to  the  north  and  east,  you  trace  the  waving 
outlines  of  the  Shawnee  Hills,  the  long 
stretch  of  the  Kittatinny,  and  the  lake-like 
repose  of  the  Delaware,  with  the  lower  por- 
tion of  Cherry  Yalley  and  the  village  in  the 
nearer  view.  You  will  be  disappointed  in 
going  to  see  the  sun  set  from  this  hill,  and 
will  conclude  there  is  a  misapplication  of 
the  name,  as  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  are 
obstructed  by  the  grove  of  trees  to  the  west. 
But  the  pleasure  to  be  enjoyed  at  this  hour 
of  the  day,  and  in  which  the  name  has  its 
significance,  is  to  witness  the  shadows  made 
from  the  waving  outline  of  hills  to  the  west, 
as  they  slowly  climb  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, rising  higher  and  higher  as  the  ^' dying 
orb"  sinks  to  the  horizon. 

Sunset  Hill  is  the  site  selected  for  the 
contemplated  hotel.  We  hope  ere  long  to 
see  it  stand  forth  in  proportions  correspond- 
ing to  the  grandeur  of  the  situation ;  the  ad- 
ditional view  of  Cherry  Valley  obtained  from 
the  upper  balconies,  will  make  the  prospect 


View  from  Sunset  Hill, 


MOUNT    CAROLINE.  49 

altogether,  one  of  the  finest  to  be  witnessed 
from  any  hotel  in  the  Union. 

Mount  Caroline, 

Following  up  the  carriage-road  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  village  until  you  come  to  the 
little  ''  Church  of  the  Mountain/'  an^  on  an 
elongated  cone  immediately  in  the  rear  of 
the  church,  you  have  an  extended  view  of 
rare  beauty,  and  if  your  stay  at  the  "Gap" 
is  long,  you  will  visit  it  again  and  again. 
To  the  west  you  have  a  beautiful  view  of 
the  lower  portion  of  Cherry  Valley,  and  the 
creek  lazily  winding  through  it,  as  if  linger- 
ing in  this  lap  of  loveliness  before  losing  its 
identity  in  the  waters  of  the  Delaware.  To 
the  northwest  is  a  long  stretch  of  undulating 
hill,  commencing  some  ten  miles  up  Cherry 
Valley,  known  as  "  Fox  Hill,"  and  skirting 
its  border,  abruptly  cut  asunder  by  the  pas- 
sage of  Brodhead's  Creek,  rising  immediate- 
ly on  the  opposite  bank,  forming  a  high  coni- 
form bluff,  named  "Mount  Lewis."  The 
range  of  hill  from  the  creek  to  its  connec- 
tion with  the  Kittatinny,  some  twelve  miles 
further  northeast,  is  called  "  Shawnee  Hill." 


50  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

Passing  the  village  of  Shawnee,  and  afford- 
ing a  resting-place  there  in  one  of  its  de- 
pressions for  the  dead  of  more  than  a  cen- 
tury, it  rises  to  its  apex  at  Transue's  Knob, 
and  soon  after  is  lost  to  view  from  Mount 
Caroline.  As  the  eye  follows  down  the 
Delaware,  it  takes  in  the  Islands,  Indian 
Hill,  and  down  at  the  base  of  the  cliff,  the 
village  of  the  Water  Gap. 

This  place,  so  unmeaningly  named  hereto- 
fore, shall  be  called  hereafter  "  Mount  Caro- 
line," after  a  lady  who  has  long  admired  it, 
and  who  for  twenty-eight  consecutive  sea- 
sons has  honored  the  Delaware  Water  Gap 
with  her  presence.  It  is  the  more  appro- 
priate too,  as  the  little  church,  so  quietly 
nestled  in  these  hills,  has  ever  been  to  her 
an  object  of  tender  solicitude. 


Laurel  Hill, 

Laurel  Hill  stands  immediately  in  front  of 
Mount  Caroline.  The  view  from  this  point 
is  similar  to  the  other,  though  not  so  ex- 
tended; but  during  the  month  of  June, 
when  the  laurel  is  in  bloom,  it  is  much  fre- 


BLOCKHEAD    MOUNTAIN.  51 

quented,  and  much  admired   by  the  early 
visitors  at  the  Gap. 


BlocMiead  Mountain. 

Blockhead  Mountain  is  a  spur  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  on  the  New  Jersey  side  of  the  river, 
branching  out  from  the  main  mountain  a 
few  miles  above,  and  terminating  abruptly 
opposite  the  inner  curve  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Mountain,  in  range  with  Prospect  Rock, 
with  which  it  was  no  doubt  at  one  time 
connected,  and  formed  the  first  barrier  to 
the  passage  of  the  river.  Nobody  seems  to 
know  when  Blockhead  Mountain  received 
its  name,  or  why  it  was  so  named.  It  is  no 
great  favorite,  and  there  seems  to  be  not 
much  respect  entertained  for  his  Highness, 
though  it  be  sufficiently  elevated  to  shut  out 
the  view  of  the  Gap  from  the  Hotel. 

The  complaint  of  those  who  are  obliged 
to  remain  at  the  house  who  cannot  climb 
the  hills  for  a  better  view,  is,  that  they  may 
look  at  the  Gap  as  they  will,  and  contem- 
plate it  as  they  may,  Blockhead  Mountain 
is  sure  to  have  its  foot  in  it.    Notwithstand- 


62  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

ing  these  complaints,  it  is  not  without  in- 
terest. The  serpentine  course  of  the  river 
in  its  passage  through  the  mountains,  is 
"  Blockhead's"  doings,  and  adds  very  much 
to'^the  beauty  of  the  scene  as  witnessed  from 
the  carriage-road  at  Rebecca's  Bath,  or  from 
a  boat  on  the  water.  Blockhead  Mountain 
also  commands  a  very  fine  view  of  the  Gap 
from  its  summit. 

Lovers^  Hetreat^  or  the  Haunted  JPine, 

On  the  second  plateau,  the  first  from  the 
Hotel,  and  on  a  rise  of  one  hundred  feet 
from  the  latter,  and  only  a  few  rods  south 
of  the  Bowling  Saloon,  long  years  beyond 
the  recollection  of  the  oldest,  and  until  with- 
in the  memory  of  the  younger,  there  stood 
on  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  with  his  roots 
sunk  deep  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks, 
among  smaller  and  less  important  trees,  an 
aged  pine. 

The  place  where  it  stood  was  one  of  the 
earliest,  and  still  is  one  of  the  most  favorite 
near  resorts,  especially  for  lovers  ;  perhaps, 
because  it  can  only  be  approached  from  one 
direction,  and    affords   no   opportunity   for 


OR   THE   HAUNTED    PINE.      53 

sudden  surprisals.  The  old  tree  is  dead 
now,  and  "  the  place  that  once  knew  it,  will 
know  it  no  more,"  excepting  in  its  spectral 
apparitions.  And  of  it  we  might  sing,  as  of 
the  lamented  "  Grimes  :" 


"Th'  old  pine  is  dead,  that  dear  old  tree, 
We  ne'er  shall  see  it  more ; 
It  used  to  wear  that  old  green  coat, 
So  often  worn  before." 


But,  as  old  pines  outlive  everything  about 
them  (who  ever  heard  of  one  dying  from 
natural  causes  ?)  it  was  thought  proper  that 
an  inquiry  should  be  instituted  to  ascertain, 
if  possible,  the  cause  of  its  premature  disso- 
lution. On  examination,  it  was  found  that 
the  willing  soil  still  yielded  nourishment  to 
its  thrifty  survivors,  that  the  canker-worm 
had  not  penetrated  its  vitals,  that  it  had  re- 
ceived no  rude  cuttings  by  the  hands  of  the 
thoughtless  axeman,  nor  in  fact  any  appar- 
ent injury;  but  after  a  long  and  thought- 
ful, and  ponderous  meditation,  the  commit- 
tee returned  with  the  stunning  verdict,  ^' that 
the  tree  came  to  its  death  from  the  effects 
of  heat,  engendered  by  the  too  ardent  appeals 
of  importunate  suitors."     Nobody,  of  course, 


5i  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

gave  any  credence  to  such  a  report;  but 
shortly  after,  on  a  bright  moonlight  night, 
when  at  the  Hotel  there  was  mirth  and 
gayety, 

"  And  all  went  merry  as  a  marriage  bell," 

the  startling  alarm  was  given,  and  the  "  old 
pine"  was  seen  to  be  on  fire^  and  as  the 
flames  ascended  high  up  in  the  air  and  illu- 
mined the  whole  cliff,  a  pair  of  lovers  were 
seen  quietly  to  emerge  from  the  place  and 
make  their  descent  toward  the  Hotel,  upon 
which  a  member  of  the  committee,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  present,  had  the  temerity  to 
make  the  ungallant  remark,  that,  ''  now  the 
truth  of  their  verdict  was  more  than  con- 
firmed." Since  then  the  place  is  reported 
to  be  haunted ;  and  haunted  it  is,  if  ever  a 
spot  was  haunted ;  and  why  may  not  ghosts 
inhabit  the  body  of  a  tree  as  well  as  anybody 
else  ?  Vague  and  uncertain  sounds  are  heard 
to  issue  from  the  place  even  on  moonlight 
evenings,  in  tones  from  a  gentle  whisper  to 
plaintive  lamentations. 


View  from  >.Loyer's  Retreat." 


•  •  ^»    • < 


,  •  •     • 


CHURCH    OF    THE    MOUNTAIN.  55 


Martinis  Mest, 

On  the  carriage-road  leading  north  from 
the  Hotel,  and  as  it  turns  the  point  at  the 
base  of  Sunset  Hill,  there  is  a  view  very 
similar  to  that  seen  from  its  summit,  here- 
tofore described. 

.  A  few  steps  up  the  side  of  the  hill  a  seat 
is  erected,  on  which  may  be  seen  on  many 
a  warm  summer  evening,  a  party  long  and 
pleasantly  remembered  by  many  a  sojourner 
at  the  Kittatinny  House.  The  place  is 
known  as  "  Martin's  Rest." 


Church  of  the  Ifountain. 

The  church  is  a  few  minutes'  walk  from 
the  Hotel.  It  was  built  both  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  visitors  at  the  Gap,  and  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood,  liberal  contri- 
butions having  been  made  for  that  purpose 
by  those  who,  more  or  less  frequently,  visit 
this  place.*     Previous  to   its  erection,  the 

*  For  the  conception  and  successful  prosecution  of  this 
design,  all  who  feel  an  interest  in  the  little  Church  of  the 
Mountain,  will  hold  in  grateful  rememhrance  the  names  of 
Mrs.  Franklin  Peale  and  Dr.  J.  Marshall  Paul. 


56  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

nearest  churches  were  at  Stroudsburg  and 
Shawnee.  But  the  zealous  and  indefatiga- 
ble Methodists  embraced  this  in  their  field 
of  Christian  labor,  and  worshipped  in  the 
schoolhouse  and  in  private  families  almost 
since  the  village  had  existence.  Twenty- 
five  years  ago  extra  meetings  were  held,  at 
suitable  seasons  of  the  year,  in  my  father  s 
barn.  Many  pleasant  recollections  of  boy- 
hood days  are  associated  with  the  weekly  or 
semi-monthly  visits  of  the  youthful  itinerant 
preachers,  who,  like  the  schoolmasters  of 
former  days,  "  boarded  'round,"  and,  to  each 
family  in  turn,  were  always  welcome  guests. 
The  church  was  erected  in  1854,  and  was 
dedicated  in  the  month  of  July  of  that  year. 
The  Rev.  Horatio  S.  Howell  was  the  first 
pastor.  He  came  to  the  Water  Gap  in  Au- 
gust, 1853,  and  organized  the  church  (New 
School  Presbyterian)  the  following  winter. 
Mr.  Howell  continued  as  pastor  until  March, 
1862,  when  he  was  chosen  chaplain  of  the 
Ninetieth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers, commanded  by  Colonel  Lyle,  and  was 
killed  by  a  rebel  soldier  whilst  attending  to 
the  sick  and  wounded  at  the  Hospital  in 
Gettysburg,  July  1st,  1863.     The  following 


CHURCH    OF   THE    MOUNTAIN.  57 

report  of  this  melancholy  event  was  made 
by  a  correspondent  of  one  of  the  city  papers 
at  the  time : 

"Downright  Murder. 

"  On  the  afternoon  of  the  1st,  as  the  rebels 
charged  through  the  town,  the  pistols  car- 
ried by  them,  and  with  which  they  had  been 
abundantly  supplied,  were  fired  promiscu- 
ously at  all  who  might  be  in  the  street,  look- 
ing out  of  windows,  or  standing  in  the  door- 
ways. 

"  A  squadron  of  this  charging  party  rode 
directly  up  to  the  front  of  the  hospital  and 
deliberately  discharged  their  pistols  at  those 
who  were  standing  upon  the  steps  and  upon 
the  walks  in  front.  This  firing  instantly 
robbed  our  service  of  one  of  its  most  pious, 
excellent,  and  beloved  chaplains,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Howell,  of  the  Ninetieth  Pennsylvania 
Regiment." 

Mr.  Howell's   death   cast  a  gloom  over 
the  entire  neighborhood.     He  was,  indeed, 
a  most  beloved  pastor,  a  noble,  generous- 
hearted  man,  and  an  ardent  patriot, 
6 


58  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

The  Rev.  E.  J.  Pierce  is  the  successor  of 
Mr.  Howell. 

The  following  extract  from  the  sermon 
delivered  at  the  dedication  of  the  Church  of 
the  Mountain,  will  be  interesting  to  most 
persons  who  visit  this  place : 


DEDICATIO]^  SERM0:N', 

CHURCH  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN,  DELAWARE  WATER  GAP, 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

By  the  Rev.  F.  F.  Ellinwood, 

Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Belridere,  N.  J. 

August  29,  1854. 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  op  Hosts,  Consider  your  ways  ;  Go  up  to 

THE  mountain  AND  BRING  WOOD,  AND  BUILD  THE  HOnSE,  AND  I 
WILL  TAKE  PLEASURE  IN  IT,  AND  I  WILL  BE  GLORIFIED,  SAITH 

THE  Lord." — JIaggai  1 :  7,  8. 

For  many  centuries  past,  has  Jehovah 
dwelt  in  the  rocky  fastnesses  of  this  moun- 
tain. Ere  there  was  a  human  ear  to  listen. 
His  voice  was  uttered  here  in  the  sighing 
of  the  breeze  and  the  thunder  of  the  storms, 
which  even  then  were  wont  to  writhe  in  the 
close  grapple  of  this  narrow  gorge.  Ere  one 
human  footstep  had  invaded  the  wildness  of 
the  place,  or  the  hand  of  art  had  applied  the 
drill  and  blast  to  the  silent  rock,  God's  hand 


CHURCH    OF   THE    MOUNTAIN.  59 

was  working  here  alone — delving  out  its 
deep,  rugged  pathway  for  yonder  river,  and 
clothing  those  gigantic  bluffs  and  terraces 
with  undying  verdure,  and  the  far  gleaming 
brightness  of  their  laurel  bloom.  Every  day 
since  that  first  dawn  whereat  the  morning 
stars  sang  joyfully  together,  has  God  been 
present  here,  in  Nature's  hroad  temple,  which, 
as  the '  ancient  Germani  would  tell  us,  is 
alone  adequate  to  the  indwelling  of  the  In- 
finite One;  but  never,  until  tins  day,  has  He 
dwelt  here  in  a  temple  made  with  hands. 

Never,  amid  these  almost  eternal  rocks, 
has  an  event  like  this  to-day  transpired  be- 
fore. We  trust  that,  for  years  past,  there 
have  been  individual  hearts  in  which  the 
presence  of  God  has  here  been  felt,  and  we 
know  not  but  earlier  still,  the  Red  man, 
catching,  it  may  be,  the  name  of  Jesus  from 
the  lips  of  the  beloved  Brainerd,  has  tuned 
here  in  wild  notes  the  songs  of  Zion;  or,  on 
this  very  spot,  kneeling  at  the  calm  sunset 
hour,  has  breathed  the  prayer  of  a  renewed 
heart  to  heaven.  But  not  until  this  day 
have  God's  people  here  thrown  open  the 
doors  of  a  consecrated  temple,  and  sat  down 
therein,  to  wait  in  prayerfulness  together, 


60  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

while  the  unseen  Jehovah — heavenly  guest 
— should  come  and  make  His  dwelling  in 
their  midst.  Thus  sit  we  here  together  now. 
The  temple  has  been  built;  all  things  are 
ready,  and  what  wait  we  for  but  the  pres- 
ence of  our  God  ?  "  Lift  up  your  heads,  0 ! 
ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors,  and  the  King  of  Glory  shall  come  in. 
Who  is  this  King  of  Glory?  The  Lord, 
strong  and  mighty;  the  Lord,  mighty  in 
battle.  Lift  up  your  heads,  0!  ye  gates; 
even  lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors,  and 
the  King  of  Glory  shall  come  in.  Who  is 
this  King  of  Glory?  The  Lord  of  Hosts, 
He  is  the  King  of  Glory." 

The  present  occasion  may  well  be  one 
of  great  rejoicing  to  us  all,  my  friends,  since 
to-day  a  fond  hope  is  realized.  It  seems  but 
yesterday  that  we  assembled  here,  in  the 
open  air,  to  lay  the  corner-stone  of  this  edi- 
fice ;  and  while  the  sultry  autumnal  sun  was 
beaming  warm  upon  us,  and  the  solemn,  yet 
beautiful  October  tinge  was  dappling  all 
these  wooded  heights,  we  stood  with  un- 
covered heads,  and  commended  this  unbuilt 
temple  to  the  care  of  Almighty  God — feel- 
ing as  the  Psalmist  felt,  that  "except  the 


CHURCH    OF   THE   MOUNTAIN.  61 

Lord  build  the  bouse,  tbey  do  labor  in  vain 
that  build  it."  But  now  we  meet  to  rejoice, 
with  thanksgiving,  that  our  prayer  has  been 
heard ;  that  God's  blessing  has  rested  upon 
this  holy  enterprise,  and  that  we  are  here 
permitted  to  sit  in  those  heaven-appointed 
courts,  wherein  one  day,  rightly  spent,  is 
better  than  a  thousand  in  the  tents  of  wick- 
edness. It  seems  but  yesterday,  too,  that 
wintry  day  on  which  we  met  in  the  small 
school-house  opposite,  and  organized  a  church 
who  should  thenceforth  worship  God  in  this 
mountain,  and  felt  that  the  place  was  too 
strait  for  those  who  had  assembled,  and 
looked  forward  with  hope  to  the  time  when 
we  should  meet  in  God's  own  house.  That 
hope  is  now  realized  to  the  full  extent:  we 
find  its  fruition  in  the  pleasantness  and  con- 
venience of  this  beautiful  structure.  "  How 
amiable  are  thy  Tabernacles,  0  Lord  of 
Hosts!  Blessed  are  they  that  dwell  in  thy 
house ;  they  shall  be  still  praising  thee  ! " 

It  is  an  interesting  feature  in  the  objects 
of  this  occasion,  that  the  result  which  we 
here  behold  is  but  the  consummation  of  a 
purpose  which  God  himself  had  long  since 
formed.     It  was  He  who,  by  one  means  or 

6* 


62  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

another,  first  said  to  his  people,  with  refer- 
ence to  this  work,  "  Go  up  to  the  mountain, 
and  bring  wood  and  build  the  house,  and  I 
will  take  pleasure  in  it,  and  I  wdll  be  glor- 
ified, saith  the  Lord."  It  was  He  who,  by 
the  leadings  of  his  Providence  and  the  in- 
fluence of  his  Spirit,  first  put  it  into  the 
heart  of  a  Christian  woman  to  devise  and 
commence  this  noble  work.  It  w^as  He  who 
raised  up  other  promoters  of  his  kingdom, 
who,  with  responsive  and  willing  hearts, 
took  up  and  carried  forw^ard  what  had  been 
commenced.  It  was  He  who  called  forth 
the  prayers  and  efforts  of  his  children  in 
this  place;  for,  as  in  the  days  of  Nehemiah, 
so  here  "  the  people  had  a  mind  to  work," 
and  "  all  the  wall  was  joined  together."  It 
was  God  primarily  who  planned  it  all,  and 
to  Him  the  sincere  thanks  of  every  heart  are 
due.  Indeed,  He  has  been  preparing  for 
this  church  during  many  years  and  even 
ages  past.  There  is  not  a  beam  in  all  this 
edifice  but  He  reared  it  for  the  very  purpose 
which  it  here  subserves — even  when  its  germ 
first  rooted  in  the  mould  of  the  mountain 
side ;  He  saw  the  object  of  its  existence  in 
the  building  of  this  house.    Neither  is  there 


CHURCH    OF   THE    MOUNTAIN.  63 

a  stone  in  the  edifice  which  He  did  not  pre- 
pare for  its  present  use;  and  as  to  the  firm 
foundation  whereon  this  structure  rests,  God 
said  of  it,  ages  ago,  as  He  did  of  Peter,  "  On 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  church."  That 
fiat  is  this  day  brought  to  complete  execu- 
tion. The  rude  blasts  of  six  thousand  win- 
ters have  howled  in  undaunted  wildness 
over  the  consecrated  spot,,  while  yet  its  pre- 
dicted destiny  was  not  fulfilled;  but  here,  at 
length,  stands,  in  very  deed  tlie  cliurcJi  firmly 
built  upon  the  rock,  and  it  is  our  hope  and 
prayer  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  pre- 
vail against  it. 

But  we  turn  from  the  past  to  the  future. 
You  have  been  up  to  the  mountain,  and 
brought  wood,  and  built  the  house,  led  on, 
as  we  verily  believe,  by  the  eternal  design 
and  moving  power  of  God;  you  have  been 
sanctioned,  we  trust,  and  blest  by  Him  in  all 
the  work  from  first  to  last,  and  therefore  by 
implication  we  may  plead  His  promise,  that 
He  will  take  pleasure  in  this  built  and 
dedicated  Temple,  and  be  glorified  therein. 
Even  in  the  planning  and  building  of  the 
church,  though  nothing  further  should  be 
done,  though  by  some  casualty,  this  edifice 


64  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

should  be  now  destroyed,  even  in  that  which 
has  been  already  accomplished,  God  is  glo- 
rified, and  yet  we  would  feel  that  his  great- 
est glory  in  this  church  will  be  derived  from 
that  which  in  future  shall  here  be  done. 
"We  would  regard  the  temple  itself  as  the 
means  only  to  a  greater  end  ;  we  would  look 
onward  hopefully  to  the  effectual  and  wide- 
spread working  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  here; 
we  would  think  of  the  multitudes  who  may 
hereafter  receive  the  Word  of  Eternal  Life 
in  this  consecrated  place ;  we  would  antici- 
pate the  growth  of  a  large  and  flourishing 
church  and  congregation  here — one  whose 
influence  for  good  shall  extend  itself  over  all 
these  mountains,  and  whose  Heaven-reflected 
light  shall  shine  out  through  all  these  val- 
leys, so  that  spiritually,  as  well  as  literally, 
this  may  prove  to  be  a  city  set  upon  a  hill, 
which  therefore  cannot  be  hid.  And  we 
would  rejoice  in  the  thought  that  hereafter 
those  from  our  cities,  who  shall  resort  to 
this  mountain  for  health  or  pleasure,  may 
here  find  health  indeed,  in  the  healing  "  balm 
of  Life,"  and  "  pleasures  for  evermore,"  at 
the  hand  of  God  ;  that  such  of  their  number 
as  love  the  gates  of  Zion  at  home,  may  here 


CHURCH    OF   THE   MOUNTAIN.  65 

also  find  a  sanctuary  with  its  holy  Sabbath 
service;  while  those  who  love  not  God — 
whom  the  business  and  pleasures  and  fash- 
ions of  city  life  have  kept  ever  whirling  in 
the  maelstrom  of  w^orldliness,  may  here,  at 
least,  in  the  quiet  of  this  secluded  temple, 
be  brought  for  the  first  time  to  Christ, 
through  the  simple  and  earnest  preaching 
of  the  Word. 

And,  my  friends,  it  is  a  glorious  hope 
which  we  indulge  to-day,  that  never  again, 
while  time  shall  last,  shall  there  be  wanting 
in  this  mountain  an  abode  for  the  living 
God;  that  although  a  hundred  centuries 
more  should  be  added  to  the  unknown  age 
of  these  solid  rocks,  they  may  never  be 
found  without  at  least  one  church.  Indeed, 
w^hen  we  reflect  upon  the  progressive  nature 
of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  progressive  tendencies  of  this 
country,  now  becoming,  instead  of  China, 
the  middle  kingdom  of  the  world^  we  see  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  time  ever  will 
come  when  no  church  will  here  be  found. 
We  have  no  fear  of  a  retrograde  movement, 
although  such  cases  have  indeed  been  known. 
We  can  conceive  of  and  hope  for  great  ad- 


6id  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

vancement  here  ;  we  can  look  forward  fifty 
years,  and  imagine  four  or  five  churches 
standing  in  the  midst  of  a  flourishing  vil- 
lage ;  we  can  conceive  of  a  time, — perhaps 
a  century  to  come, — when  a  halo  of  historic 
interest  shall  have  gathered  round  each 
name  of  the  original  assembly  who  dedi- 
cated the  little  antique  church  upon  the 
hill, — when  those  who  moved  in  building  it 
shall  be  held  in  grateful  honor,  and  when  a 
leaf  of  the  Dedication  Sermon,  if  found, 
would  be  regarded  as  a  quaint  relic  of  a  com- 
paratively barbarous  age.  All  this  is  per- 
haps supposable,  but  we  expect  no  turning 
back — no  abatement  of  interest;  we  hope 
for  life  and  action  and  constant  progress. 
We  cannot  resist  the  impression  that  we  are 
honored  of  God  to-day,  in  being  permitted 
to  begin  a  work  which  shall  not  end  till  all 
earthly  things  shall  end,  nor  even  then ;  and 
I  would  say  for  your  encouragement,  my 
friends,  that  with  faithfulness  on  your  part, 
in  carrying  out  the  holy  enterprise  which 
you  have  commenced,  a  thousand  recipients 
of  blessings  here  may  rise  up  and  call  you 
blessed  at  the  last  great  day.  If  here,  both 
by  your  personal  effort  and  your  pecuniary 


CHURCH   OF   THE    MOUNTAIN.  67 

means,  you  lend  a  liberal  hand  in  maintain- 
ing the  ordinances  of  grace  ;  if  here  unitedly 
you  watch  and  pray  for  souls,  believing  that 
God  will  answer ;  if  here  you  instruct  the 
young,  training  them  from  very  childhood 
to  labor  in  your  places  when  you  are  gone, 
thus  carrying  on  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion this  glorious  work;  then  how  many, 
oh !  how  many  precious  stars  for  the  Re- 
deemer's crown  will  ultimately  have  been 
gathered  in  this  place  !  How  great  a  good 
will  have  been  accomplished  from  this  be- 
ginning ! 

From  the  preliminary  points  which  have 
thus  far  been  touched  upon,  it  will  readily 
be  seen  that  much  of  God's  glory  in  this 
church  lies  yet  in  the  future,  and  is  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  degree  of  holy 
and  earnest  activity  which  his  people  here 
^re  expected  to  put  forth  in  time  to  come. 
We  see  that  when  by  His  Providence  he  said 
to  you,  "  Go  up  to  the  mountain  and  bring 
wood  and  build  the  house,"  and  when  He 
promised  to  take  pleasure  and  be  glorified 
therein,  something  was  implied  which  yet 
remains  for  you  to  do.  In  directing  you  to 
build  the  house,  the  design  with  which  it  is 


68  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

built  was  kept  constantly  in  view,  of  course. 
While,  therefore,  we  have  great  reason  to 
congratulate  you,  my  friends,  and  render  our 
heartfelt  thanks  to  Heaven  in  view  of  that 
which  already  has  been  done,  it  becomes  an 
interesting  and  profitable  inquiry  for  us,  and 
one  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  how,  so 
far  as  future  effort  is  concerned,  may  God 
best  be  glorified  in  this  newly-dedicated 
temple?  Let  this  be  the  one  prominent 
question,  not  only  for  this  discourse  and  this 
occasion,  but  forever,  so  long  as  the  church 
shall  stand.  How,  according  to  the  promise 
in  our  text,  shall  God  best  be  glorified  in 
this  His  own  holy  habitation  ? 


CAI\I\IAGE   DI\IVES 


The  places  of  interest  in  and  about  the 
Gap  are  divided  into  two  classes ;  those  seen 
by  pedestrians,  and  of  easy  access  from  the 
Hotel,  and  those  seen  by  carriage-drives  of 
from  three  to  fifteen  miles.  Of  the  latter 
class-  are  Cherry  Valley  and  Stroudsburg, 
with  the  intermediate  view  from  Fox  Hill, 
Cherry  Valley,  and  Crystal  Hill,  Buttermilk 
Falls,  Marshall's  Falls,  and  Bushkill  Falls, 
Shawnee  Hill,  Transue's  Knob,  Castle  Rock, 
Slate  Factories  and  Quarries,  and  the  New 
Jersey  hills.  The  summit  of  Mount  Minsi 
can  also  be  reached  by  a  circuitous  drive 
of  some  six  miles ;  but  as  the  road  is  rough 
and  precipitous,  this  journey  should  be  made 
on  horseback,  if  not,  on  foot  via  Prospect 
Rock. 

The  roads  to  all  these  points,  excepting 
the  last  named,  are  firm  and  comparatively 

7  (69) 


70  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

smooth,  but  hilly ;  no  one,  however,  who 
passes  over  them  will  wish  the  hills  less 
elevated,  or  the  valleys  less  deep,  as  the 
beauty  of  the  scenery  is  much  enhanced 
thereby. 

Cherry  Valley  from  Fox  Hill, 

Fox  Hill,  alluded  to  in  the  view  from 
Mount  Caroline,  is  elevated  above  the  river 
from  three  hundred  feet  to  ^yq  hundred  feet, 
and  its  whole  length,  including  the  portion 
east  of  Brodhead's  Creek,  called  Shawnee 
Hill,  about  twenty-five  miles.  It  has  its 
termination  in  the  Kittatinny  Mountain,  a 
short  distance  from  where  the  Delaware  di- 
vides it,  near  Flat  Brook  in  New  Jersey. 

At  one  of  the  depressions  in  Fox  Hill, 
the  carriage-road  passes  to  Stroudsburg. 
Near  the  summit  of  the  road,  a  portion  of 
Cherry  Valley  is  seen  to  the  left,  and  so 
hemmed  in  with  mountains  you  wonder 
where  the  quiet  comfortable-looking  inhab- 
itants find  their  egress.  The  creek  seems 
in  no  hurry  to  find  an  outlet,  for  after  slowly 
wandering  on  its  journey  for  some  distance, 
it  makes  an  irregular  circuit,  and  returns  to 


STROUDSBUllG.  71 

within  a  few  rods  of  the  place  it  left  a  little 
while  before,  and  forms  a  considerable  pen- 
insula, resembling  in  appearance  an  exag- 
gerated pedal  member,  called  the  "  Giant's 
Foot."  The  whole  scene  is  a  picture  of 
rural  beauty,  much  admired  by  visitors. 

Strotidshurg. 

On  the  west  side  of  Fox  Hill,  another 
valley  of  equal  beauty  with  Cherry  Valley, 
and  of  greater  variety,  is  witnessed  from  the 
carriage-road.  It  is,  like  the  former,  nearly 
encircled  with  mountains  and  hills,  the  most 
distant  and  very  prominent  is  a  spur  of 
the  Pocono.  It  stands  out .  like  a  grand 
monument,  the  lesser  hills  rising  one  above 
another  from  the  valley,  forming  a  substan- 
tial pedestal  on  which  to  rest  its  giant  pro- 
.portions.  The  town,  of  about  two  thousand 
inhabitants,  is  pleasantly  situated  in  the 
lower  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Pocono. 
Three  beautiful  streams  unite  on  its  eastern 
border.  It  has  a  large  extent  of  valley  land 
to  spread  over,  and  when  the  cities  of  Phil- 
adelphia and  New  York  are  reached  in  a 
reasonable  time  by  rail,  it  will  afford  induce- 


72  DELAWAKE    WATER    GAP. 

ments  for  the  erection  of  country  residences, 
equal  to  any  situation  on  either  thorough- 
fare. 

On  your  return  from  Stroudsburg  you 
cross  Fox  Hill  at  a  point  a  short  distance 
to  the  west,  and  have  another  and  different 
view  of  Cherry  Valley,  and  a  pleasant  ride 
through  it  to  the  Kittatinny  House. 

Cherry  Valley  and  Crystal  Hill. 

Cherry  Valley  runs  nearly  parallel  with 
the  Kittatinny  Mountain ;  the  portion  west 
of  the  Wilkesbarre  turnpike  to  the  Lehigh 
is  called  Achquonshicola,  after  the  creek  of 
that  name,  which  flows  west  into  the  Lehigh 
above  Lehigh  Gap,  having  its  rise  near  that 
of  Cherry  Creek,  which  flows  in  an  opposite 
direction  to  the  Delaware.  The  whole  length 
of  the  valley  being  about  thirty-five  miles. 

The  usual  distance  of  the  drive  is  from 
seven  to  ten  miles,  and  is  full  of  interest 
and  beauty.  Crystal  Hill  requires  a  walk  of 
half  a  mile  from  the  valley  road  to  its  sum- 
mit. The  whole  of  the  rocky  surface  is  more 
or  less  crystalline,  and  some  very  fine  speci- 
mens of  quartz  are  sometimes  obtained. 


BUTTERMILK   FALLS.  73 

A  short  distance  up  the  valley  from  here, 
in  Shaw's  meadows,  are  seen  those  conical 
hills  of  diluvial  dejDOsit,  produced  no  doubt 
by  the  surging  of  the  water  and  the  action 
of  fields  of  ice  against  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tain at  the  time  when  the  waters  covering 
the  valley  of  the  Minisink  were  supposed  to 
have  had  their  elevated  outlet  at  the  Wind 
Gap,  and  before  the  bursting  asunder  of  the 
mountain  at  the  Water  Gap. 

Buttermilk  Falls. 

The  ledge  over  which  the  creek  passes  at 
this  point,  is  composed  of  fossiliferous  lime- 
stone. Over  these  dark  rocks  the  stream 
spreads  in  tortuous  channels,  through  which 
it  has  worked  its  way  in  eccentric  and  even 
grotesque  whirls.  The  water  so  fretted  and 
.chafed  into  foam  is  not  unlike  in  appearance 
the  homely  product  of  the  dairy,  which  has 
given  its  name  to  this  unique  cascade. 

Buttermilk  Falls  and  Marshall's  Falls  are 
on  the  same  stream,  and  can  both  be  seen 
in  a  morning's  or  after-dinner's  ride.  The 
distance  to  the  first  is  three  miles,  and  to 
Marshall's  Falls  seven  miles.     Their  beauty 


74  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

depends  much  upon  the  condition  of  the 
stream,  being  greatly  enhanced  when  the 
volume  of  water  is  increased. 

Marshall's  Falls, 

The  rocks  of  this  vicinity  are  of  a  dark 
color,  and  are  filled  with  fossil  casts  and  im- 
pressions; they  are  seamed  all  over  with 
fissures  and  cracks,  so  much  so,  as  to  be 
easily  detached  in  irregular  shaped  frag- 
ments by  the  action  of  the  elements.  The 
skilful  use  of  the  hammer  and  chisel  will 
reveal  some  fine  specimens  of  the  trilobites, 
ammonites,  and  bivalve  shells.  The  waters 
of  Marshall's  Creek  have  worn  their  way 
through  this  ledge  in  a  chasm  of  some  fifty 
feet  in  depth,  leaving  an  overhanging  clifi" 
on  the  right  side  of  the  spectator,  from  be- 
neath which  he  gazes  through  a  portal  be- 
tween the  approaching  rocks  upon  the  cata- 
ract, which  falls  into  an  interior  basin,  in- 
accessible because  filled  with  water,  which, 
after  its  short  and  precipitous  career  over 
the  rapids  above,  makes  its  final  leap  into 
the  dark  basin,  and  flows  thence  through 
the  narrow  portal  above  mentioned ;  thence 


IVLarshall's  Falls, 


BUSHKILL   FALLS.  75 

expanded  to  a  wider  sheet,  and  finally  in  a 
rippling  course  takes  its  way  towards  the 
Delaware. 

Bushkill  Falls, 

On  the  way  to  Bushkill  Falls,  and  three 
miles  from  the  Hotel,  you  pass  over  a  por- 
tion of  the  Shawnee  Hill  projecting  from  the 
main  range.  From  this  elevation  is  a  fine 
prospect  both  up  and  down  the  river,  and  of 
the  lower  portion  of  Cherry  Yalley ;  a  view 
embracing  much  that  has  heretofore  been 
described,  but  now  seen  from  a  point  so 
favorable  as  to  give  it  additional  beauty. 
At  the  foot  of  the  hill  you  pass  the  village 
of  Shawnee,  where  the  first  settlement  north 
of  the  mountain  was  formed.  The  whole  of 
the  first  ten  miles  of  the  road  to  Bushkill 
is  along  the  river,  through  a  well-cultivated 
valley,  between  the  parallel  range  of  moun- 
tain and  hill,  and  adorned  with  pictures  of 
rural  beauty  rarely  equalled.  At  the  end 
of  this  drive  you  leave  the  river  road,  and 
ascend  the  Shawnee  Hill  again.  When  near 
the  summit,  do  not  fail  to  climb  the  bluff*,  a 


76  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

short  distance  to  the  right  of  the  road,  named 
Flora-bunda. 

From  this  point  you  overlook  the  valley 
through  which  you  have  just  passed,  includ- 
ing the  narrow  belt  of  cultivated  land  in 
New  Jersey,  so  beautifully  sloping  from  the 
base  of  the  mountain  to  the  river,  called 
Pahaqualong.  The  settlement  is  contempo- 
rary with  that  at  Shawnee. 

A  short  distance  below  where  the  moun- 
tain approaches  the  river  the  ancient  copper 
mines  are  situated.  The  view  up  the  river 
is  in  contrast  with  that  just  witnessed.  The 
stream,  being  closely  hemmed  in  by  moun- 
tain and  hill,  with  a  thickly  wooded  island 
in  the  centre,  presents  a  wild  forest-like  ap- 
pearance. 

The  bold  sweep  which  the  river  makes  to 
the  Pennsylvania  shore  just  below  where 
you  stand  has  carried  away  a  large  body  of 
its  alluvial  banks.  It  is  called  by  the  lum- 
bermen "  Loving  Shore,"  the  current  of  the 
stream  giving  the  rafts  a  strong  inclination 
in  that  direction.* 

*  It  seems  to  be  a  fact,  and  if  so,  worthy  of  observation, 
that  the  banks  on  the  Delaware  River  are  more  injured  in 
times  of  high  water  on  the  western  or  Pennsylvania  shore 


BUSHKILL   FALLS.  77 

Three  miles  from  here  you  reach  the  town 
of  Bushkill,  pleasantly  situated  on  the  stream 
of  the  same  name,  and  here  is  an  inviting 
place  to  take  a  rest  at  a  clean,  comfortable 
Hotel,  kept  by  Mr.  Peters.  By  giving  orders 
you  will  have  an  excellent  dinner  in  readi- 
ness on  your  return  from  the  "  Falls." 

A  part  of  the  remaining  journey  along 
the  Bushkill  Creek  is  picturesque.  The  lat- 
ter portion  is  through  a  newly  settled  coun- 
try, and  the  road  rough  and  hilly.  After 
you  have  lost  all  signs  of  civilization  and 
may,  perhaps,  be  wondering  w^hether 

"  The  sound  of  the  church-going  bell 
These  valleys  and  rocks  ever  heard," 

you  suddenly  come  upon  a  ckarcli,  standing 
solitary  and  alone  in  the  forest ;  and  how- 
ever much  you  may  be  interested  in  the 
good  w^ork  of  erecting  temples  of  worship  at 
every  suitable  place,  you  will  wonder  what 

than  on  that  of  New  Jersey,  where  the  near  approach  of  the 
mountain  does  not  prevent  it,  the  inclination  of  the  current, 
in  times  of  freshets,  being  more  in  that  direction.  What  it 
takes  from  Pennsylvania,  however,  in  alluvium,  it  gives 
back  to  New  Jersey  in  diluvium,  or  cleanly  washed  sand 
and  gravel,  of  which  its  citizens  protest  they  have  quantum, 
sufficit. 


78  DELAWARE    WATER   GAP. 

extraordinary  Christian  zeal  could  have  in- 
duced the  building  of  a  church  out  of  sight, 
and  out  of  sound,  of  human  habitation  or 
human  worshipper ;  but  here  it  is,  with  its 
sad  accompaniment,  a  burial-ground,  and  its 
silent  inhabitants 

"  Imploring  the  passing  tribute  of  a  sigh." 

The  Falls  are  a  few  rods'  walk  from  the 
church.  Nature  has  wrought  very  beauti- 
fully in  this  wild  secluded  spot ;  and  yet, 
until  quite  recently,  these  Falls  remained 
comparatively  unknown.  Shall  we  doubt, 
however,  that  the  rude  and  uncultivated  red 
men  were  sensible  to  their  beauty ;  and  that 
their  wild  notes  of  admiration  were  less  ar- 
dent than  our  own  encomiums  ?  The  chasm 
is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  a  nearly 
perpendicular  wall  of  rock.  On  one  of  these 
walls  opposite  the  Falls  you  stand  to  witness 
the  stream  as  it  emerges  from  the  thick 
woods,  and  leaps  over  the  precipice  into  the 
dark  interior  basin  beneath  where  you  stand. 
Whirled  and  chafed  into  a  foam  it  passes 
into  the  narrow  gorge  below,  and  is  lost  to 
view  by  the  overhanging  rocks.     The  Falls 


■.S.    *' 


f- 


I 


^ 


»--'- 


PUSHKILL    ^ALLS. 


79 


are  ninety-six  feet  in  height,  broken  in  the 
centre  by  the  abrasion  of  the  water  on  the 
upper  portion  of  the  cliff,  which  rather  adds 
to  than  detracts  from  their  beauty.  But 
you  are  quite  as  much  impressed  with  the 
adamantine  chamber  below  you,  and  its  wild 
surroundings,  as  with  the  Falls  themselves. 
On  your  return  from  Bushkill,  take  what 
is  known  as  the  "  middle  road,"  through  a 
well-cultivated  portion  of  high  table-land, 
studded  with  substantial  and  comfortable- 
looking  farm-houses. 

Transue^s  Knob, 

On  the  Shawnee  Hill,  six  miles  from  the 
Hotel,  there  stands,  a  hundred  feet  above 
the  limestone  measure,  of  which  the  hill  is 
a  component,  a  pyramidal  deposit  of  dilu- 
vium, covering  several  acres,  composed  main- 
ly of  pebbles  and  coarse  gravel.  Whether 
this  curious  formation  of  the  aqueous  ele- 
ment is  Noachian,  or  whether  the  waters  of 
the  Delaware  for  a  time  rose  above  its  sum- 
mit, and  made  eccentric  gyrations  around 
this  spot,  and  deposited  in  the  interior  of 
the  irregular  circle  this  mass  of  .dj:ift^  at  the 


80  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

time  when  the  body  of  water  commenced  to 
find  an  outlet  at  the  Gap,  it  is  impossible  to 
determine ;  but  it  will  always  afford  an  in- 
teresting subject  of  inquiry  to  the  geologist. 
From  this  bald  summit  there  is  a  panoramic 
view  of  great  extent  and  beauty.  A  blend- 
ing of  the  wildest  forest  scenes  with  culti- 
vated fields  and  scattered  farm-houses. 

The  river  lies  spread  out  before  you,  calm 
and  serene  now,  for  its  work  is  done.  Na- 
ture's solid  masonry  having  yielded,  atom 
by  atom,  until  the  unceasing  waters  have 
found  their  wonted  bed. 

Castle  Mock. 

On  what  is  called  the  middle  road  to  Bush- 
kill,  about  four  miles  from  the  Hotel,  is  Cas- 
tle Kock.  The  strange  and  sometimes  in- 
explicable forms  of  geological  structure,  of 
which  this  is  a  striking  example,  can  only 
be  realized  by  a  visual  examination.  From 
the  face  of  the  steep  slope  of  Shawnee  Hill, 
the  rocks  project  and  overlook  the  valley 
through  which  the  road  passes,  like  a  fortress 
of  ancient  days,  to  defend  the  pass.     The 


•  •,  ,•      ••  ••,•«  • 

•  *•*    •  •    •  •  •  •• 

••••••     •  •     •  ••  •  ' 

•  •••*  *  •«•     •  «( 

•    ,••••  t     •    •••    c         •  •» 


NEW  JERSEY  HILLS — LAKE  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN.      81 

name  is  sufficiently  indicative,   and   quite 
appropriate. 

^ew  Jersey  JSills. 

This  drive  is  a  circuit  of  twelve  miles. 
Passing  the  Gap  you  cross  the  river  in  a  flat- 
boat  three  miles  below,  and  return  through 
the  mountains  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  having  a  fine  view  of  the  Gap  on  both 
sides  above  and  below.  The  road  follows 
the  windings  of  the  river  and  skirts  the  base 
of  the  mountain  the  whole  distance;  nearly 
opposite  the  Hotel  you  ascend  the  hills,  and 
have  a  variety  of  pictures  that  you  will  ad- 
mire and  long  retain  pleasant  recollections 
of.  You  recross  the  river  at  the  ferry  three 
miles  above,  and  return  home  by  the  Shaw- 
nee Hills. 

• 

Lahe  of  the  Mountain, 

This  is  a  sheet  of  pure  transparent  water 
surrounded  by  an  irregular  curved  outline 
of  foliage,  and  clear  bare  fragments,  and 
masses  of  gray  sandstone,  strangely  and 
unaccountably  situated  upon  the  very  sum- 

8 


82  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

mit  of  the  mountain  on  the  New  Jersey  side 
of  the  river.  A  mirror  of  beauty  in  the  soli- 
tary wilderness,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in 
length,  and  something  less  in  breadth,  re- 
flecting the  image  of  the  clouds,  the  only 
objects  above  its  fair  surface,  beneath  which 
in  its  transparent  depths,  the  perch  roam  in 
solitary  and  peaceful  independence. 

The  lake  is  reached  by  a  carriage-ride  to 
the  ferry  at  Shawnee,  and  then  by  a  rugged 
mountain  path,  accessible  to  all  who  have 
stout  limbs  and  good  lungs,  and  desire  to 
have  these  requisites  of  healthful  existence 
continued. 

Indian  Graves, 

In  the  year  1811,  John  Arndt,  of  Easton, 
wrote  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Heckewelder  concern- 
ing an  Indian  grave  found  at  this  solitary 
spot,  near  the  shore  of  the  lake.  He  was 
buried  in  a  stone  vault,  "  the  rock  having 
been  rent  apart  for  a  considerable  length, 
and  wide  enough  to  admit  the  body,  and 
covered  with  large  flat  stones.  With  the 
skeleton  were  found  a  small  brass  kettle, 
some  beads,  some  circular  bones  or  ivory  of 
the  size  of  a  silver  dollar,  pierced  with  two 


INDIAN    GRAVES.  83 

holes  through  the  diameter ;  also  a  parcel  of 
bone  or  ivory  tubes,  resembling  pipe-stems, 
four  and  a  half  inches  in  length.  Nearly 
opposite,  down  the  mountain  from  this  grave, 
on  the  flats  or  lowland,  there  was  a  large 
Indian  burial-ground.  Could  this  spot  Have 
been  the  special  choice  of  this  solitary  in- 
habitant ?  Here  was  a  lake  with  plenty  of 
fish,  abundance  of  large  whortleberries,  ex- 
cellent hunting-grounds,  kc.  Can  it  be  pre- 
sumed that  he  was  a  noted  chief  or  warrior 
to  whom  such  distinguished  respect  was 
paid,  as  to  deposit  him  so  much  nearer 
heaven  and  the  Great  Spirit  ?" 

Several  years  ago,  the  author  visited  the 
Indian  burial-ground  at  the  base  of  the 
mountain  alluded  to  in  the  letter  of  Mr. 
Arndt.  It  is  situated  about  seven  miles 
north  of  the  Gap,  on  an  elevation  of  two 
Jiundred  or  three  hundred  feet  from  the  river, 
which  it  overlooks,  together  with  a  beauti- 
ful portion  of  the  Valley  of  the  Delaware. 
The  ground  had  then  just  been  cleared  for 
cultivation,  the  forest  trees  had  yielded  to 
the  axemen,  and  the  virgin  soil,  so  long  held 
sacred  by  another  race,  was  about  to  be  vio- 
lated with  the  plough.     Three  graves  had 


84  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

already  been  opened,  but  a  number  of  mounds 
were  visible  all  over  the  field  before  the 
plough  had  done  its  work.  The  articles  ob- 
tained from  the  three  which  I  saw  were  as 
follows  :  A  large  quantity  of  beads,  variously 
colored,  of  stone  and  glass,  and  others  of 
bone.  Several  clay  ornaments,  rounded  and 
in  shape  like  the  beads,  but  larger,  pie^rced 
through  the  centre;  the  image  of  an  owl 
made  of  clay,  and  several  round  pieces  of 
clay  and  bone  about  the  size  of  an  American 
half-dollar,  dotted  round  the  edge  and  twice 
through  the  centre.  A  great  number  of 
pieces  of  clay  pipe,  and  fragments  of  other 
articles,  so  broken  as  to  be  undefined.  In 
one  of  the  graves  some  small  bells  were 
found,  also  fragments  of  blankets,  the  me- 
tallic remains  of  two  guns,  brass  plates  con- 
taining the  crucifix,  brass  tobacco-boxes,  &c. 
This  was  evidently  a  modern  burial,  as  the 
articles  must  have  been  obtained  from  Eu- 
ropeans, as  well  as  the  glass  beads  mentioned 
above. 

The  place  was  visited  by  some  gentlemen 
stopping  at  the  Gap  last  summer,  and  per- 
mission given  by  the  owner  of  the  field  to 
make  excavations.     One   grave  was  found 


INDIAN    GRAVES.  85 

about  three  feet  below  the  surface  and  ex- 
humed. The  skeleton  was  incased  in  a 
stone  box.     But  few  relics  were  obtained. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  writ- 
ten by  a  gentleman  who,  with  others,  visit- 
ed the  Indian  burial-place  near  the  Gap  in 
the  autumn  of  1865,  is  deemed  not  out  of 
place  in  this  connection.  The  letter  was 
published  in  the  North  American  and  United 
States  Gazette: 

"A  portion  of  the  company  now  pleasant- 
ly sojourning  here,  treated  themselves  to- 
day to  an  excursion  somewhat  different  from 
climbing  Mount  Minsi,  Prospect  Rock,  the 
Indian  Ladder,  or  even  revelling  at  that 
crystal  fount,  Rebecca's  Well,  or  that  still 
more  beautiful  spot,  Caldeno  Falls.  They 
visited  and  explored  an  Indian  cemetery, 
where  those  who  lived  and  loved,  warred 
and  hunted,  in  long  anterior  days,  have  lain 
in  quiet,  and,  until  recently,  undisturbed 
repose. 

"  The  site  of  this  early  cemetery  is  on  the 
point  of  an  elevated  diluvial  plain  above  the 
mouth  of  Brodhead's  Creek.  The  plateau 
is  about  ninety  feet  above  the  river  level, 
and   embraces,    perhaps,  four   acres.      The 

8* 


Ob  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

view  is  very  fine,  commanding  the  Delaware, 
Shawanee  Island,  Cherry  Valley,  and  the 
superb  scenery  along  the  outlying  arms  of 
the  grand  old  Kittatinny.  The  nomadic 
tribes  who  occupied  these  beautiful  and  fer- 
tile valleys  exhibited  faultless  taste  in  se- 
lecting the  spot  they  did  for  the  repose  of 
their  kindred. 

"  Of  the  wild  tribes  who  once  plied  the 
light  canoe  on  the  Maccariskittang,  and 
hunted  their  game  along  the  Minisink,  we 
have  positive  information  of  the  Shawanees 
and  Lenni  Lenapes,  or  Delawares.  The 
tawny  warriors, — Titans  of  a  dark  and  mys- 
tic race, — have  left  here  the  impress  of  their 
great  and  imperishable  names.  Mountain, 
valley,  river,  and  purling  brook  bear  the 
record  of  many  a  stalworth  brave. 

"  Various  localities  of  interest  are  pointed 
out  as  the  sites  of  Indian  villages  and  burial- 
grounds;  but  of  what  particular  tribe  or 
nation,  not  even  tradition  or  legendary  song 
can  tell.*  One  of  these  early  cemeteries 
has  long  been  regarded  with  interest  by  vis- 

*  The  Minsi,  a  branch  of  the  Lenape  Indians,  inhabited 
this  portion  of  the  Valley  of  the  Delaware.  The  Shawanees 
were  mere  sojourners  here. — L.  W.  B. 


INDIAN   GRAVES.  87 

itors  to  the  Gap  and  residents  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. In  vain,  however,  did  those  desi- 
rous of  exploring  it  apply  for  permission  to 
the  proprietor  of  the  soil.  But  the  love  of 
gain  proved  stronger  than  dread  of  supersti- 
tious awe,  and  a  few  years  since  certain  par- 
ties met,  not  having  the  fear  of  Mr.  Zimmer- 
man or  ghouls  or  goblins  before  their  eyes, 
and  under  the  cover  of  night  and  a  dense 
young  forest,  perpetrated  that  which  men  of 
science  had  ineffectually  attempted.  The 
night  despoilers  had  roughly  but  surely  done 
the  work  of  exhumation  in  several  of  these 
interesting  memorials  of  the  dead.  The 
parties  who  had  despoiled  the  graves  were 
actuated  by  a  single  motive, — gain.  They 
hoped  to  secure  valuable  relics,  which  could 
be  sold  to  curiosity-gatherers  from  the  cities. 
Some  of  these  ill-got  gains  were  offered  to 
gentlemen  of  intelligence  and  probity  whom 
I  have  seen,  who  declined  to  purchase. 
Others,  however,  in  quest  of  "  curiosities," 
did  buy.  It  may  not  positively  be  known 
what  articles  have  been  taken  from  the  de- 
spoiled graves,  but  I  have  been  informed 
that  among  the  articles  found  was  a  finely 
wrought  stone  pipe. 


88  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

"  With  this  digression,  I  will  give  a  brief 
account  of  our  operations  to-day. 

"  We  found  the  cemetery  composed  of  nu- 
merous '  graves/  in  close  proximity  to  one 
another.  These  were  scarcely  distinguish- 
able, so  slight  is  the  elevation.  Each  grave 
is  encircled  by  a  trench,  and  a  group  of  some 
half  a  dozen  had  evidently  been  surrounded 
by  a  gravel  ditch.  The  circumvallation  was 
quite  distinct. 

"  Selecting  an  undisturbed  spot,  we  put  a 
couple  of  stout  men  to  work.  Eemoving 
the  soil,  we  were  convinced  human  agency 
had  been  at  work.  Instead  of  the  gravel, 
which  marks  the  diluvial,  w^e  found  a  coarse 
yellow  sand,  intermingled  with  clay.  At 
the  depth  of  about  two  and  a  half  feet,  we 
found  an  ulna,  or  some  other  parts  of  a  hu- 
man frame.  The  skeleton  was  in  tolerable 
preservation.  The  cranium  is  in  good  con- 
dition, with  the  exception  of  a  portion  of 
the  right  superior  maxillary,  which  appeared 
missing.  The  teeth  are  in  good  preserva- 
tion, but  much  worn  by  the  use  of  maize. 
The  sections  indicate  a  person  of  about  mid- 
dle age.  The  frame  was  large,  and  doubt- 
less that  of  a  male.     The  mode  of  burial  had 


INDIAN   GRAVES.  89 

been  by  inhumation ;  placing  the  body  in  a 
recumbent  posture,  extending  from  east  to 
west,  the  face  looking  eastward.  A  slight 
cist  had  been  excavated,  which  received  the 
body,  free  from  cement  or  stone  incasement, 
and  having  placed  with  it  the  few  personal 
articles  which  ornamented  it  in  life,  a  care- 
ful covering  of  sand  was  made  to  the  height 
of  the  cist,  and  terminating  in  a  small  tumu- 
lus. The  sand  had  evidently  been  carried 
from  the  river's  beach,  as  it  is  not  found  at 
a  nearer  point.  This  is  a  peculiarity,  and 
worth  attention.  Respect  for  the  dead  would 
not  permit  him  to  be  buried  in  the  coarse 
gravel  of  the  plain  where  the  graves  are 
located. 

'^Of  the  articles  of  personal  adornment 
recovered  were  parts  of  two  metallic  orna- 
ments, brooches,  or  ear-drops,  found  in  close 
proximity  to  the  head.  They  are  an  alloy, 
pewter  perhaps,  circular  in  form,  and  two 
inches  in  diameter.  Also,  two  spiral  wire 
sprigs  of  brass,  one  inch  in  length  and  half 
an  inch  in  diameter,  and  three  bone  or  shell 
beads,  one  quite  large.  These  are  by  far 
the  most  valuable  and  interesting  relics  re- 
covered, as  they  are  purely  aboriginal,  while 


90  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

the  metallic  articles  are  of  European  fabri- 
cation. In  addition  to  those  discovered  was 
the  rude  form  of  a  pocket-knife,  but  so  oxid- 
ized as  to  be  almost  undistinguishable.  Of 
course,  these  articles,  with  the  exception  of 
the  bone  beads,  are  of  white  man's  manu- 
facture, and  utterly  valueless  to  the  archae- 
ologist. The  occupant  of  this  humb&'tpmb 
lived  after  interviews  had  been  esta^i^hed 
between  the  whites  and  Indians.  ,  T^its^^^ 
covery  dispelled  all  illusions  of  great  satii^ 
quity.  It  was  interesting,  howevei*;~as  Jfe^w- 
ing  the  mode  of  burial  practised  by  the  wild 
tribes  who  roamed  these  forests  at  the  period 
of  settlement  by  the  whites.  Such  discov- 
eries are  valuable  to  science,  and  the  gentle- 
men who  made  the  researches  considered 
themselves  amply  remunerated  for  their  trou- 
ble. 

"  The  cranium  is  worthy  the  attention  of 
ethnologists.  It  is  properly  orthognathous, 
resembling  the  round-headed  Calmuck,  fig- 
ured by  Haxley.  The  forehead  is  tolerably 
full,  the  zygomatic  processes  prominent,  but 
not  the  maxiUary  and  orbital  conforma- 
tions which  distinguish  the  common  Indian. 
These  indicia,  with  a  fair  facial  angle,  might 


INDIAN    RELICS.  91 

raise  a  doubt  with  some  as  to  the  true  char- 
acter of  the  person  buried  were  it  not  for 
counterbalancing  proofs.  Part  of  the  right 
superior  maxillary  being  gone,  it  is  some- 
what difficult  to  determine  how  much  of  a 
prognathous  form  there  may  be,  which  is  an 
almost  unfailing  characteristic  of  all  noma- 
dic races.  I  write  these  hasty  notes  with- 
out having  given  the  skull  a  careful  exami- 
nation. Perhaps  further  examination  may 
support  some  additional  facts.  It  is  in  pos- 
session of  my  friend,  L.  W.  Brodhead,  Esq., 
proprietor  of  the  Kittatinny  House,  and  will 
constitute  a  feature  in  his  collection  of  anti- 
quities for  this  locality.  To  Mr.  B.  the  pub- 
lic are  mainly  indebted  for  these  explora- 
tions." 

Indian  Hellcs. 

The  articles  of  the  stone  age  found  so  plen- 
tifully in  this  valley  were,  no  doubt,  those 
made  and  used  by  the  Indians  last  inhabit- 
ing it;  and  their  abundance  seems  to  be 
evidence  of  friendly  intercourse  with  the 
whites,  as  they  were  known  to  abandon  their 
own  implements,  and  adopt  at  the  first  op- 


92  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

portunity  those  better  suited  to  their  pur- 
pose, introduced  by  the  Europeans.  In 
other  sections  of  the  country,  known  to  have 
been  inhabited  by  Indians  in  large  numbers, 
comparatively  few  articles  of  their  own  fab- 
rication are  to  be  found,  showing  that  they 
left  hurriedly,  and  took  with  them  their  own 
implements. 

The  number  found  in  an  extent  of  ten 
miles  in  this  valley,  of  stone,  bone,  and  terra- 
cotta, would  appear  incredible  to  relate  to 
one  unfamiliar  with  the  locality. 

The  collection  seen  ut  the  Hotel,  compris- 
ing perhaps  a  thousand  pieces,  is  probably 
not  the  one-hundredth  part  of  the  number 
obtained.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  we  know 
so  little,  comparatively,  of  a  people  possess- 
ing many  traits  of  character  we  cannot  but 
admire,  and  who  were  so  friendly  to  our 
ancestors, — until  being  dealt  unjustly  with 
were  driven  to  seek  revenge ; — who  were  the 
admiring  possessors  of  these  beautiful  moun- 
tains and  valleys,  and  who  are  now  entirely 
passed  away,  with  no  record,  and  scarcely  a 
tradition  of  their  doings  remembered. 

We  know  little,  too,  of  their  mode  of  bu- 
rial— less  of  the  ceremonials.     They  were 


INDIAN   RELICS.  93 

not  mound  huilders,  like  those  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  yet  they  appear  to  have  made 
selection  of  elevated  places,  and  invariably 
commanding  a  view  of  the  water  and  valley. 
The  two  cemeteries  spoken  of  in  this  locality 
are  remarkable  for  the  beauty  of  scenery 
afforded. 

All,  however,  were  not  deposited  in  regu- 
lar burial-places,  as  single  bodies  are  some- 
times exhumed  by  the  plough,  and  frequently 
washed  out  along  the  river-banks.  Whe- 
ther these  were  enemies,  or  those  less  re- 
spected, or  what  caused  the  discrimination, 
cannot  be  determined.  Like  all  the  race, 
they  deposited  with  the  dead,  articles  most 
highly  prized  by  them  whilst  living. 


LEGENDS. 


Winona;  or,  the  Story  of  Lover^s  Leap. 

AN   HISTORICAL   LEGEND. 

**  She  loves, — but  knows  not  whom  she  loves, 
Nor  what  his  race,  nor  whence  he  came  ; 
Like  one  who  meets,  in  Indian  groves, 

Some  beauteous  bird  without  a  name, 
Brought  by  the  last  ambrosial  breeze, 
From  isles  in  th'  undiscover'd  seas, 
To  show  his  plumage  for  a  day 
To  wondering  eyes,  and  wings  away." 

Moore. 

Two  centuries  ago  there  reigned,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Minisink,  a  noble  chieftain 
named  Wissinoming.  He  was  the  head  of 
that  once  most  powerful  and  ancient  people, 
known  as  the  "Lenni  Lenape."  Their  pos- 
sessions extended  from  the  highest  sources 
of  the  rivers  Delaware  and  Susquehanna 
to  the  ocean,   and  every  valley  and   hill- 

(94) 


WINONA,  OR    THE    STORY    OF    LOVER'S    LEAP.       95 

top  drained  by  their  tributaries  echoed  the 
praises  of  Lenape's  chieftain.* 
^  The  Lower  Minisink  was  the  headquarters 
of  this  nation.  Here  Wissinoming  resided, 
and  here  emanated  the  decrees  dispatched 
by  fleet-footed  couriers,  in  case  of  war  or 
apprehended  danger,  or  signalled  by  "fire- 
lights" kindled  on  a  hundred  hill-tops,f 
which  reassured,  and  thus  preserved  the 
unity  of  the  confederate  tribes.  For  how 
many  centuries  Wissinoming's  ancestors 
reigned  in  this  beautiful  valley,  and  plied 
their  boats  on  these  quiet  waters,  and  chased 
the  deer  in  these  forests,  and  defied  their 
enemies  in  these  rocky  fastnesses,  and  wor- 
shipped  on    these    mountain-heights,   time 


*  "The  compound  word  Lenni  Lenape  signifies  ^original 
peopU,^  a  race  of  beings  who  are  the  same  that  they  were 
from  the  beginning,  acknowledged  by  near  forty  Indian 
tribes  as  being  their  grandfathers.  All  these  tribes,  derived 
from  the  same  stock,  recognize  each  other  as  Wapanachki  or 
Lenape,  which  among  them  is  a  generic  name." — Hecke- 
welder. 

f  It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  "signal  lights"  were 
used  by  the  Indians,  and  that  important  intelligence  was 
communicated  from  one  eminence  to  another,  hundreds  of 
miles  away,  with  the  certainty,  and  almost  the  celerity,  of 
electricity.  The  adoption  of  a  similar  system  proved  of  great 
importance  to  our  army  in  the  late  Kebellion. 


96  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

will  never  reveal  to  us.  And  when  the  red 
man  first  visited  the  shores  of  our  continent, 
whether  before  or  after  the  departure  of  the 
Israelites  from  Egypt,  is  not  material  to  our 
present  story. 

Winona  was  the  beloved  and  only  daugh- 
ter of  Wissinoming.  She  and  her  brother 
Manatamany  were  the  pride  of  this  noble 
chieftain,  and  were  the  objects  of  his  greatest 
care  and  solicitude ;  all  the  instruction  that 
a  wise  but  uncultivated  parent  could  impart 
were  bestowed  on  these  children.  They, 
consequently,  grew  up  at  least  free  from  the 
ruder  habits  of  their  people,  and  Winona 
manifested  a  character  of  great  strength  and 
beauty.  Her  father  had  impressed  her  with 
the  fact,  that  she  was  of  the  descent  of  a 
noble  race  of  chieftains,  and  that  her  people 
could  claim  great  antiquity,  and  she  readily 
saw  that  they  were  greatly  superior  to  all 
the  other  tribes  whose  representatives  at 
times  visited  her  father's  home. 

The  Lenape  were  bold  and  fearless,  but 
considerate  and  just;  and  having  enjoyed 
years  of  peace,  paid  some  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  were  acquiring 


WINONA,  OR    THE   STORY    OF   LOVER's   LEAP.       97 

habits  bordering  on  civilization ;  and  when 
the  whites  first  appeared  among  them,  that 
civilization  was  ready  to  dawn.  The  first 
settlers  were,  therefore,  received  with  open 
arms.  They  continued  their  friendly  inter- 
course, and  were  not  averse  to  their  per- 
manent residence  amongst  them.  The  im- 
proved methods  to  promote  comfortable 
existence  by  the  new-comers,  their  ready 
discernment  led  them  to  at  least  appreciate, 
if  not  to  adopt,  and  all  that  was  now  needed 
was  fair  and  honorable  dealing;  and  had  the 
policy  of  the  elder  Penn  been  continued, 
it  is  fair  to  presume  that  the  Lenape  would 
have  at  this  day  existed  in  this  valley,  a 
comparatively  enlightened  and  cultivated 
people. 

The  first  appearance  of  the  whites  was 
only  to  explore  the  country.  They  were 
from  the  Holland  settlement  on  the  Hud- 
son. They  found  a  considerable  extent  of 
land  under  cultivation,  and  were  delighted 
with  its  appearance,  and  with  the  friendship 
manifested  by  the  natives,  and  soon  there- 
after arrangements  were  made  for  the  intro- 
duction of  a  colony.     A  number  of  families 


98  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

at  length  arrived,  and  formed  the  first  set- 
tlement in  the  Minisink  country,  and  per- 
haps in  the  State. 

Winona  seemed  to  be  drawn  instinctively 
to  the  society  of  the  cultivated  ladies  form- 
ing the  settlement.  On  account  of  her  po- 
sition as  the  daughter  of  an  illustrious  chief, 
she  was  well  received.  Her  beau4:y  of  per- 
son, her  dignified  but  gentle  manners,  her 
desire  to  learn  of  the  white  ladies  and  adopt 
their  customs,  soon  made  her  a  great  favor- 
ite, and  she  came  to  be  styled  by  them.  Prin- 
cess Winona.  She  continued  to  be  ever  after 
the  firm  friend  of  the  whites,  and  proved 
herself,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  a  very 
Pocahontas,  indeed. 

The  exploring  party,  just  named,  with 
the  prevailing  thirst  for  gold,  had  discovered 
in  the  mountain  at  Pahaqualong,  a  few  miles 
above,  evidences  of  what  they  supposed  to 
be  a  rich  mine  of  copper,  and  the  informa- 
tion having  been  forwarded  to  their  mother 
country,  a  company  was  speedily  formed 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Holland  Govern- 
ment, and  an  expedition  fitted  out  and  placed 
in  charge   of  a  young  man  of  rank  named 


WINONA,    OR   THE    STORY    OF   LOVER'S    LEAP.       99 

Plendrick  Yan  Allen.*  He  was  a  gentle- 
man of  fine  accomplishments,  pleasing  ad- 
dress, and  fair  exterior,  full  of  adventure, 
and  the  kind  of  wild  frontier  life  he  was  for 
a  time  obliged  to  lead,  seemed  well  suited  to 
his  inclinations.  He  soon  became  accus- 
tomed to  the  hardships  incident  to  a  life 
where  few  evidences  of  civilization  were  to 
be  witnessed,  much  less  enjoyed. 

He  visited  the  settlement  a  few  miles  be- 
low, soon  after  his  arrival,  and  there  heard, 
at  the  house  of  one  of  the  colonists,  the  fame 
of  the  ^'  Indian  Princess."  The  thought  of 
Prince  or  Princess  had  not  entered  Hen- 
drick's  mind  since  he  left  the  land  of  civil- 
ization, and  he  supposed  himself  now  far 
beyond  the  influences  of  nobility;  hence 
to  hear  of  an  embryo  "  Queen  "  in  this  re- 


*  These  mines  were  worked  to  a  considerable  extent,  but 
with  what  success  is  not  known.  They  are  situated  near  the 
base  of  the  Kittatinny  Mountain,  eight  miles  above  the  Del- 
aware Water  Gap,  on  the  New  Jersey  side  of  the  river.  A 
company  was  organized,  about  twenty  years  ago,  in  New 
York,  for  the  purpose  of  re-working  them,  but  failed  of  suc- 
cess. When  they  commenced  operations,  they  found  large 
trees  growing  upon  places  where  excavations  had  been  made 
nearly  two  hundred  years  before.  The  place  is  now  called 
Pahaquarri,  a  corruption    of  "  Pah aqu along,"  the  original 


100  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

mote  wilderness  struck  liim  as  rather  ludi- 
crous. He,  however,  promised  his  friend 
to  see  her  when  he  visited  the  settlement 
again. 

The  young  adventurer  having  satisfied 
his  own  mind  that  about  one-half  of  the 
Kittatinny  Mountain  was  composed  of  cop- 
per ore,  he  commenced  the  construction 
of  the  Great  Wagon  Road  from  Pahaqua- 
long  to  the  Hudson  River,  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  miles.  Whilst  this  work  was  in 
progress,  he  employed  himself  in  the  sports 
of  the  chase.  He  fancied  himself  an  expert 
in  the  use  of  the  rifle,  and  found  the  wild 
game  as  abundant  as  he  could  wish. 

At  Hendrick's  next  visit  to  the  settle- 
ment, he  met  the  young  "  Princess  "  at  the 
house  of  his  friend,  where,  ever  since  their 
arrival,  she  had  been  a  frequent  and  wel- 
come visitor.  Hendrick  expected  to  see  in 
the  daughter  of  the  famous  chief  less  rude- 
ness of  manner,  perhaps,  than  in  the  other 
daughters  of  the  forest;  but  he  was  unpre- 
pared for  what  he  now  witnessed. 

Winona's  modesty,  refinement,  and  dig- 
nified deportment  were  unaccountable  to 
him ;  and  though  he  had  heard  her  beauty 


WINONA,  OR   THE   STORY   OF   LOVER'S    LEAP.      101 

highly  praised,  she  far  excelled  in  his  mind 
the  mo^t  favorable  descriptions  given  of  her. 
Not  having  measured  the  character  of  her 
mind,  he  introduced  such  conversation  as 
he  thought  adapted  to  her  understanding 
and  suited  to  her  inclinations.  He  spoke  of 
the  enjoyment  he  had  experienced  in  imi- 
tating the  free  and  unrestrained  life  of  her 
people  ;  the  excitement  of  the  chase ;  the  un- 
bounded park  filled  with  game  that  had  not 
yet  learned  to  flee  at  the  report  of  his  gun,  and 
was  not  too  modest  to  mention  the  skill  he 
had  acquired  in  its  use  by  frequent  practice. 
Winona,  though  accustomed  to  the  wild 
sports  of  her  people,  and  confident  of  her 
skill  in  the  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow,  hav- 
ing often  employed  them  as  an  exercise  and 
an  amusement,  was  more  modest  in  the  esti- 
mate of  her  prowess  ;  and  Hendrick  learned, 
too,  from  the  tenor  of  her  conversation,  that 
there  were  other  themes  better  suited  to  the 
character  of  Winona's  mind,  and  more  pleas- 
ing for  her  contemplation.  A  friendship, 
very  natural  under  the  circumstances,  was 
at  once  formed,  and  Hendrick  henceforward 
fancied  that  the  better  hunting-grounds  were 
in  the  direction  of  the  new  settlement  and 
Winona's  home. 


102  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

Not  long  after  this  event  the  old  chief 
Wissinoming  died.  It  was  the  saddest  pe- 
riod of  Winona's  life.  She  grieved,  not  only 
on  account  of  her  own  loss,  but  she  mourned 
also  the  loss  her  nation  had  sustained.  The 
affairs  of  her  people  were  in  a  critical  con- 
dition. The  Lenape  had  been  invaded  by 
some  tribes  from  the  North,  and  though  the 
latter  had  been  severely  chastised  during 
her  father's  reign,  Winona  and  her  brother, 
Manatamany,  feared  a  renewal  of  hostili- 
ties. 

The  following  incidents,  though  having 
no  direct  connection  in  this  narrative,  are 
still  important  as  relating  to  the  Lenape 
nation,  and  on  that  account  their  recital 
will,  perhaps,  be  justified. 

The  power  of  the  Lenape  was  undis- 
puted, and  they  had  enjoyed  untold  years 
of  undisturbed  quiet ;  but  before  the  reign 
of  Wissinoming,  a  cloud  had  gathered  in 
the  North.  Some  ambitious  tribes  had  com- 
menced invading  their  territory,  and  though 
they  had  always  been  repulsed  with  severe 
losses,  the  Lenape  were  at  length  confronted 
by  that  powerful  union  of  hostile  tribes, 
composed  of  the  Mohawks,  Onondagas,  Sen- 


WINONA,  OR   THE    STORY   OF    LOVER'S    LEAP.      103 

ecas,  Oneidas,  Cayugas,  and  Tuscaroras, 
and  known  as  the  "  Six  Nations."  The 
clouds  that  had  been  gathering  culminated, 
and  a  terrific  storm  burst  upon  the  devoted 
heads  of  the  Lenape.  The  war  raged  for 
many  years  with  varying  success ;  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Minisink  maintained  their  an- 
cient prestige,  though  other  portions  of  the 
Lenape  nation  were  forced  to  succumb,  or 
accept  annihilation.  It  was  not  until  near 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
the  Six  Nations  received  the  countenance 
and  encouragement  of  the  whites,  that  the 
Minsi, — the  elder  sons  and  occupants  of  the 
ancient  heritage  of  the  Lenape, — yielded  to 
power  and  intrigue.  The  conduct  of  cer- 
tain of  the  whites  at  the  memorable  conven- 
tions held  at  Philadelphia  and  Easton, — 
where  the  Delawares  (as  they  were  now 
called)  were  browbeaten  and  disgraced,  and 
their  chief  on  one  occasion  led  out  of  the 
convention  by  the  hair  of  his  head  by  an 
iipstart  of  the  Six  Nations, — is  unaccount- 
able upon  any  other  hypothesis,  than  that 
by  the  dispersion  of  the  Delawares,  and  by 
the  encouragement  extended  to  the  Six  Na- 
tions, they  could  more  readily  gain  posses- 


104  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

sion  of  territory  to  which  neither  themselves 
nor  the  Six  Nations  had  a  shadow  of  daim. 

It  has  been  alleged  that  the  Delaware 
chief  behaved  cowardly  on  this  occasion. 
The  assertion  is  unwarranted  by  the  facts. 
Surrounded  by  enemies  greatly  superior  in 
numbers  to  his  own  people,  and  who  were 
supported  by  the  wealth  and  influence  of 
the  English,  he  well  knew  that  resistance 
would  end  in  the  destruction  of  his  remain- 
ing followers.  Hence,  the  course  he  pur- 
sued is  such  as  a  wise  man  would  have 
adopted. 

At  a  subsequent  council,  held  at  Easton, 
it  is  said,  "  The  English  had  made  so  many 
presents  to  the  Six  Nations,  that  they  would 
hear  no  explanations  from  the  Delawares." 
Well  might  Tedeuskund  have  said,  with 
reference  to  the  whites,  ^^A^id  you,  too,  my 
brothers  r 

To  the  credit  of  William  Penn  and  his  true 
followers,  be  it  ever  remembered,  that  they 
did  not  desert  the  Delawares  in  their  ex- 
tremity, but  stood  up  for  them  on  all  occa- 
sions, and  condemned  the  unjust  treatment 
they  received. 

The  subjugation  of  this  people,  and  their 


WINONA,  OR  THE  STORY  OF  LOVER'S  LEAP.   105 

exile  from  the  Valley  of  the  Delaware,  form 
one  of  the  saddest  episodes  in  the  history  of 
nations.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  that  they 
lingered  long  upon  the  waters  of  their  favor- 
ite river  ?  That  they  viewed  with  terror, 
from  the  heights  of  the  Kittatinny,  the  ap- 
proach of  the  white  man  to  take  possession 
of  the  homes  they  were  compelled  by  their 
enemies  to  abandon  ?  To  be  despoiled  of 
all  they  held  dear,  even  the  places  made 
sacred  by  the  dead  of  centuries  ?  I  fancy 
I  can  see  them  as  they  meet  in  the  last  hur- 
ried council :  no  fire  is  kindled ;  no  glad 
voices  are  heard;  no  songs  of  mirth  and 
rejoicing,  naught  but  a  saddening  wail,  the 
requiem  of  departing  glory.  The  corn  and 
dried  venison  are  collected  together.  The 
aged  chief,  who  has  cheered  his  followers  in 
the  thick  strife  of  contending  hosts,  now 
trembles  with  emotion  at  his  exile  from  the 
land  he  loves.  Hear  him,  for  his  utterance 
is  choked :  '^  Let  us  take  a  last  lingering 
look  as  the  departing  rays  of  light  are  shed 
upon  the  Blue  Hills,  and  then  go  hence  to 
that  strange  land,  whilst  the  sun  sleeps  be- 
hind the  mountain,  that  the  white  robber 
may  not  laugh  at  our  tears." 

10 


106  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

This  digression  has  led  to  a  view  of  the 
condition  of  the  Lenapes,  nearly  a  century 
subsequent  to  the  main  incidents  of  our 
story.  At  the  death  of  Wissinoming,  Man- 
atamany  was  looked  upon  as  the  natural 
and  legitimate  successor  to  his  father,  whom 
he  much  resembled  in  strength  of  mind  and 
heroic  deportment.  Being  younger,  how- 
ever, than  his  sister  Winona,  she  was  looked 
up  to  as  the  "  guardian  angel"  of  her  people; 
and  as  much  consulted  in  matters  of  state  as 
her  brother.  To  add  to  their  other  troubles, 
a  serious  outbreak  now  occurred  between  a 
portion  of  their  people  and  the  colonists,  in 
which  a  young  man,  a  favorite  of  the  col- 
onists, was  killed;  much  excitement  was 
manifested  by  both  parties.  The  cause  of 
the  quarrel  was  the  attempted  occupancy 
and  cultivation,  on  the  part  of  the  settlers, 
of  the  Great  Shawano  Island^  opposite  the 
Indian  town  of  Wyomissing.  This  island 
was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians,  and  was 
a  cherished  part  of  their  possessions.  Its 
great  productiveness.*  excited  the  cupidity 

*  That  these  islands  in  the  Delaware,  as  well  as  the  adja- 
cent main  land,  were  under  cultivation  by  the  Indians,  there 
is  scarcely  a  doubt  remaining.     The  evidence  of  the  early 


LEAP.       107 

of  the  colonists,  and  frequent  attempts  had 
been  made  for  its  purchase ;  but  no  offer, 
however  liberal,  would  be  entertained  for  a 
moment.  In  the  quarrel  Manatamany  took 
no  part,  though  his  heart  was  with  his  peo- 
ple. Winona,  the  friend  of  the  colonist,  as 
well  as  the  beloved  oracle  of  her  own  na- 
tion, was  looked  to  by  the  friends  of  peace 
in  both  parties,  as  the  only  hope  of  an  ami- 
cable settlement  of  the  difficulty.  Winona 
felt  the  responsibility  of  her  position,  but 
did  not  shrink  from  the  performance  of  her 
duty. 

The  town  of  Wyomissing  was  the  ancient 
home  of  the  Lenape  chieftains.  In  front  of 
the  lodge  of  Winona  and  her  brother  were 
assembled  the  excited  multitude.  On  the 
rocky  parapet,  bordering  her  little  flower- 
garden,  stood  the  Queen  of  the  Forest,  the 
heroine  and  orator  of  the  occasion ;  to  her, 
all  eyes  were  directed ;  to  her,  all  were  ready 

settlers  on  the  subject  is  confirmed  by  the  discovery,  a  few 
years  ago,  on  Shawnee  Island,  of  a  dozen  or  more  articles  of 
the  stone  age^  differing  from  those  ordinarily  found,  which, 
on  being  submitted  to  Mr.  Franklin  Pealc,  of  Philadelphia, — 
perhaps  the  best  authority  on  this  subject  in  the  country, — 
were  unhesitatingly  pronounced  implements  of  agriculture, 
answering  the  purpose  of  our  common  hoe. 


108  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

to  listen  with  reverence,  and  now  waited  in 
breathless  silence  the  Sibylline  utterances. 

"  Winona  is  the  daughter  of  Wissinom- 
ing,  who  lies  sleeping  on  yonder  hill-top, 
overlooking  the  waters  of  Lenape's  river. 
The  island,  the  cause  of  this  quarrel,  also 
lies  before  him.  For  how  many  centuries 
Wissinoming's  fathers  reigned  in  the  Mini- 
sink,  Winona  knoweth  not ;  but  the  moons 
will  count  in  number  as  the  hairs  of  Wi- 
nona's head.  Winona's  father  sometimes 
speaks  from  the  spirit-land,  and  Winona 
hears  his  words  of  love  and  wisdom  in  the 
whispering  winds.  She  listens,  to  catch  the 
music  of  his  voice  to-day ;  but  the  w^inds  do 
not  speak,  and  Winona's  heart  is  heavy  with 
grief  Winona  loves  the  people  of  her  fathers, 
and  desires  to  do  them  good.  She  rejoices 
in  their  successes,  and  mourns  over  their 
misfortunes.  Their  song  of  jo}^,  or  wail  of 
grief,  is  echoed  in  Winona's  heart.  Winona's 
heart  is  sad  now  !  Winona  loves  her  white 
neighbors  also,  and  hoped  to  live  with  them 
in  peace  and  friendship  forever.  Their  ladies 
are  kind  and  gentle  to  Winona,  and  have 
taught  her  many  ways  that  Winona  loves, 
and  filled  her  mind  with  many  wonderful 


thoughts  that  are  beautiful,  and  that  Wi- 
nona dreamed  not  of.  Winona's  heart  is 
very  sad !  The  weight  of  grief  would  melt 
in  tears,  but  Winona  cannot  weep  now. 
Winona  loves  not  strife  nor  bloodshed;  but 
Winona  is  not  herself  afraid  to  die. 

"A  young  man  has  been  slain  by  our 
people.  He  was  much  beloved  by  our  neigh- 
bors. Who  committed  the  fatal  deed  we 
know  not.  It  is  but  justice,  and  according 
to  the  custom  of  our  own  nation,  that  his 
death  should  be  avenged,  and  one  of  our 
number  be  offered  to  appease  the  just  wTath 
of  our  neighbors.  Winona  is  not  afraid  to 
die!  Hear,  then,  what  Winona  saith.  On 
the  morrow,  on  the  first  wake  of  the  morn- 
ing, before  the  sun  shows  his  face  from  be- 
hind the  hills  of  the  Kittatinny,  let  Winona 
be  slain  by  the  hands  of  her  own  people, 
and  let  her  be  buried  beside  her  noble  father, 
Wissinoming.  Let  Hendrick  be  called  from 
the  mountain ;  let  him  raise  Winona's  head, 
as  in  the  custom  of  the  burial  of  my  people,* 
that  the  earth  may  rest  lightly  upon  it,  and 

*  It  was  the  custom  of  the  Indians  to  bury  distinguished 
persons  of  their  own  tribe  with  the  head  elevated  to  nearly 
a  sitting  posture,  and  to  incase  the  body  in  a  stone  box. 

10* 


110  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

let  him  pray  to  Ms  God  for  the  spirit  of 
Winona.  The  Shawano  Island  is  loved  bv 
our  people.  It  is  fair  to  look  upon,  and  the 
corn  has  ripened  upon  it  for  my  people  for 
more  summers  than  the  numbers  of  our  na- 
tion. Winona's  canoe  has  passed  many 
times  round  it,  and  touched  at  every  shore. 

'^  The  white  man  must  not  take  it  from 
my  people;  but  let  my  good  brother  give  to 
them  the  Island  ManwaUamiuh^  and  may 
the  dove  of  peace  descend,  and  hover  over 
the  people  of  my  fathers  and  our  white 
neighbors  forever ! " 

A  saddening  wail,  mingled  with  murmurs 
of  discontent,  rose  upon  the  still  air,  and 
Manatamany  essayed  to  give  utterance  to 
these  incoherent  mutterings;  but  the  shouts 
of  the  colonists  drowned  his  voice  :  "  Wi- 
nona must  not,  shall  not  die!  She  shall  live 
to  bless  us  and  you !  We  ask  no  sacrifice ; 
we  only  ask,  that  if  it  please  Manatamany, 
Winona  may  be  adopted  as  our  sister,  and 
be  to  us,  as  to  you,  a  princess  and  '  guardian 
angel.' " 

This  interesting  event  proved  most  aus- 
picious ;  years  of  uninterrupted  friendship 
followed,  and,  indeed,  its  influence  was  never 


WINONA,  OR  THE  STORY  OF  LOVER'S  LEAP.   Ill 

entirely  lost  upon  either  the  natives  or  the 
colonists.  The  settlement  increased  in  num- 
bers, and  amity  reigned,  and  an  apparent  de- 
sire to  benefit  the  condition  of  each  by  the 
other  manifested  itself  upon  all  occasions. 
How  easily  this  policy  might  have  been 
continued,  and  how  glorious  would  have 
been  its  results !  All  that  was  now  needed 
was  honesty  of  purpose,  and  a  little  forbear- 
ance. How  readily  on  all  occasions  might 
the  truths  of  the  Christian  religion  be  in- 
troduced among  a  people  who  are  strangers 
to  its  teachings,  if  its  beautiful  precepts 
were  practised  by  those  desiring  its  promul- 
gation!  AVinona  had  become  to  the  colony 
an  object  of  love  and  veneration,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  the  idol  of  her  people ;  and 
when  Hendrick  visited  the  settlement  again, 
he  found  the  praises  of  Winona  on  every 
tongue.  His  visits  now  became  more  fre- 
quent, and  he  found  himself  fascinated  by 
Winona;  and  yet  it  does  not  appear  that 
he  took  much  thought  beyond  the  present 
pleasure  of  her  society ;  into  the  future  he 
did  not  stop  to  gaze.  He  had  now  become 
more  occupied  in  his  duties  at  the  mines; 
the  hours  of  relaxation,  however,  afforded 


112  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

him,  were  entirely  devoted  to  her,  not  dream- 
ing that  he  was  awakening  a  passion  of  dan- 
gerous intensity  in  the  susceptible  heart  of 
Winona.  She  at  first  seemed  to  look  upon 
Hendrick  in  the  character  of  a  brother  and 
instructor  in  things  that  delighted  her  and 
filled  her  mind  with  wonder ;  and  such  he 
had  been  to  her.  He  had  taught  her  many 
customs  and  things  that  were  entirely  new 
to  her,  and  she  was  a  most  apt  pupil. 

Riding  on  horseback,  though  practised  by 
the  male  members  of  her  people,  could  not 
be  indulged  in  to  any  extent  by  Winona,  as 
the  condition  of  the  roads  (being  mere  trails 
or  footpaths)  forbade  it.  But  Hendrick  now 
used  his  new  road,  originally  constructed  for 
the  transportation  of  ores  from  the  mines,  to 
a  more  satisfactory  purpose,  and  much  to  the 
delight  of  this  flower  of  the  forest.  In  the 
absence  of  Hendrick,  it  was  the  custom  of 
Winona  to  spend  much  of  her  time  alone, 
and  with  her  little  red  canoe,  and  bow  and 
arrow,  she  passed  many  hours  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  river  which  flows  between  the 
islands  and  the  mainland  on  which  Wyomis- 
sing  was  situated.  The  borders  of  this 
stream  were  skirted  on  both  sides,  then  as 


WINONA,  OR    THE    STORY   OF   LOVER'S    LEAP.      113 

now,  bj  a  growth  of  large  and  beautiful 
trees,  some  of  which  are  still  standing,  no 
doubt,  upon  which  Winona  once  gazed  with 
delighted  admiration,  and  from  whose  up- 
permost branches  the  wild-fowl  and  other 
game,  then  so  abundant,  were  brought  down 
with  absolute  certainty,  when  she  was  in- 
clined to  exercise  her  skill  with  the  bow 
and  arrow.  On  one  of  these  occasions, 
when  Winona's  canoe  was  gliding  leisurely 
over  these  quiet  waters,  she  heard  on  the 
island,  and  quite  near  her,  the  report  of  a 
rifle.  At  first,  the  report  of  a  gun  was  a 
terror  to  Winona ;  but  Hendrick's  visits  to 
the  settlement  being  now  always  announced 
in  that  way,  it  had  become,  instead,  a  feel- 
ing of  delight,  and  her  first  thoughts  now 
were  of  the  near  presence  of  Hendrick. 
She  moored  her  boat  to  the  shore,  and 
quietly  waited  and  watched.  Hendrick  con- 
tinued to  fire,  and  she  soon  discovered  a 
black  squirrel  upon  one  of  the  loftiest 
branches  of  a  large  tree  near  her.  Taking 
up  her  bow,  and  selecting  from  her  quiver 
a  choice  arrow,  with  deliberate,  well-di- 
rected aim,  she  brought  down  the  animal 
bleeding  at  Hendrick's  feet.     He  picked  up 


114  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

the  squirrel,  thinking  it  had  fallen  from  the 
effect  of  the  discharge  of  his  own  gun  a  mo- 
ment before,  but  was  greatly  astonished  to 
find  it  pierced  with  an  arrow  still  sticking 
in  its  body.  Recollecting  to  have  seen  Wi- 
nona's skill  with  the  bow  and  arrow  before, 
he  at  once  divined  her  near  presence,  and 
soon  sought  out  his  fair  rival,  with  her  little 
bark  moored  under  the  edge  of  the  beach, 
near  where  he  stood.  This  unexpected 
meeting  gave  mutual  delight.  Hendrick 
complimented  Winona  on  her  prowess,  and 
though  she  could  not  indulge  him  with 
equal  compliment,  she  gave  expression  only 
to  the  pleasure  the  circumstance  of  their 
meeting  afforded  her;  and  before  parting, 
on  this  occasion,  Hendrick  should  have  dis- 
covered the  spark  he  was  kindling,  and  the 
danger  of  fanning  to  a  flame  that  which,  in 
a  breast  like  Winona's,  would  continue  to 
burn  forever. 

It  would  be  most  interesting  to  know  the 
manner  and  character  of  thought  indulged 
in  by  a  child  of  nature  with  the  active  pow- 
ers of  mind  possessed  by  Winona,  before 
coming  in  contact  with  any  other  light  than 
that  furnished  by  the  vague  traditions  of 


WINONA,  OR    THE    STORY    OF   LOVER'S    LEAP.      115 

her  own  people.  Winona  spent  many  hours 
with  no  other  companion  than  her  little 
boat ;  these  were  her  hours  of  solitude. 

That  great  mind  could  not  be  idle.  Of 
what  did  she  muse  ?  She  could  not  wander 
in  thought  far  back  into  the  past,  and  if  so, 
the  traditions  of  her  people  were  not  suffi- 
cient to  supply  much  food  for  thought,  and 
the  successive  days  of  the  passing  present 
were  a  uniform  round  of  uninteresting  same- 
ness. She  could,  perhaps,  run  over  in  her 
mind  the  uncertain  stories  of  a  long  line  of 
noble  chieftains,  and  could  recite  deeds  of 
daring  heroism  performed ;  but  Winona  need- 
ed something  more  than  all  this.  Her  mind 
yearned  for  more  refined  food  for  thought. 
Yearned  for  the  light,  that  light  her  pene- 
trating vision  had  caught  in  faint  glimmer- 
ings through  the  misty  clouds  that  had  in- 
veiled  her  people  for  centuries.  Could  she 
behold  the  sun  as  it  rose  from  behind  the 
great  mountain,  and  picture  to  herself  that 
it  had  for  some  hours  before  it  appeared  to 
her,  lighted  up  cities  filled  with  gay  and 
lively  people, — such  as  she  since  came  in 
contact  with,  and  which  had  given  her  so 
much   pleasure, — without    any  other   light 


116  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

than  that  furnished  by  her  own  unassisted 
imagination  ?  She  may  have  heard  her  no- 
ble father  speak  of  the  ''  Great  flood  of  wa- 
ters," lying  towards  both  the  rising  and  set- 
ting sun,  and  may  have  accompanied  him 
on  one  of  his  visits  of  state  to  where  the 
blue  waters  of  the  great  ocean  were  revealed 
to  her  astonished  vision.  If  so,  could  it  have 
been  to  her  mind  only  an  unending  flood, 
extending  beyond  the  utmost  stretch  of  her 
imagination  into  vast  illimitable  infinity? 
or  could  she,  by  the  powers  of  her  mind, 
give  to  its  bounds  comprehension,  and  to  its 
measure  limits  ? 

Might  she  not  in  these  hours  of  solitude 
have  been  led  to  inquire  into  the  first  great 
cause,  and  by  communion  in  spirit  with  her 
Heavenly  Father  have  had  revealed  to  her 
by  impressions  we,  who  have  clearer  light, 
do  not  conceive  of,  the  blessed  story  of  Re- 
demption ?  It  would  be  terrible  to  think, 
that  that  communion  could  not  be  enjoyed 
by  the  multitudes  who,  like  Winona,  must 
have  felt  an  "  aching  void  "  without  it,  and 
who  may  have  lived  lives  of  comparative 
freedom  from  actual  transgression. 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  after  Wi- 


WINONA,  OR  THE  STORY  OF  LOVER'S  LEAP.   117 

nona's  introduction  into  the  society  of  the 
colonists  her  mind  took  a  different  turn, 
and  that  she  now  had  new  elements  of 
thought  furnished  her ;  and  during  her  in- 
terviews with  Hendrick  at  this  period,  which 
had  become  quite  frequent,  the  whole  effort 
of  her  mind  was  employed  in  making  him 
the  active  medium  of  intelligent  thought. 
She  labored  for  new  ideas,  new  facts,  and 
new  emotions.  She  was  inquisitive  without 
the  power  of  asking  directly  for  that  which 
gave  her  so  much  delight  to  hear ;  and  her 
efforts,  therefore,  were  incessant  to  make 
Hendrick  talk,  and  he  could  converse  on  no 
subject  without  affording  her  both  instruc- 
tion and  pleasure.  To  Hendrick  this  was 
the  most  agreeable  and  interesting  of  em- 
ployments, and  such  promptings  as  he  re- 
ceived were  calculated  to  bring  into  active 
employment  the  full  measure  of  his  capa- 
city. Winona  was  a  charming  listener,  and 
he  an  equally  good  talker, — the  former  qual- 
ity almost  as  rare  in  the  general  world  as 
the  latter.  Hendrick  was  intelligent  and 
observing,  and  had  seen  much  of  that  world 
he  was  revealing  to  her^  which  Winona 
11 


118  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

termed  "  the  world  of  light,"  and  all  his  re- 
citals were  to  her  astonishing. 

After  the  conclusion  of  one  of  his  lively 
descriptions,  Winona  appeared  sad,  and  he 
was  at  no  loss  to  divine  the  cause.  She 
grieved  that  she  could  give  but  such  poor 
return  for  the  great  boon  to  her  of  Hen- 
drick's  conversation ;  and  felt  so  much  her 
inferiority  in  this  respect  as  to  cause  her  on 
this,  and  other  occasions,  to  shrink  away  in 
sadness  and  dejection.  But  Hendrick  saw 
in  her  a  precious  bud  awaiting  the  light  and 
heat  of  the  sun  of  intelligence  to  develop 
the  beautiful,  fragrant,  full-blown  rose  of 
lovely  womanhood.  She  would  try,  how- 
ever, to  interest  him  in  subjects  relating  to 
her  own  people.  She  spoke  of  the  wealth 
of  her  nation  in  unbounded  forests,  plains, 
and  rivers ;  the  numerous  tribes  whose  chiefs 
looked  up  to  her  people  and  called  them 
"  Fathers ;"  the  heroism  and  endurance  of 
the  warriors  of  her  nation;  scenes  of  the 
chase  in  which  she  was  permitted  to  partici- 
pate; some  remarkable  skill  displayed  in 
the  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow.  But  she  felt, 
at  the  same  time,  the  meagreness  of  the  in- 
tellectual repast  she  was  furnishing  to  him 


119 


whom  it  would  be  her  highest  ambition  and 
enjoyment  to  please.  On  one  subject,  how- 
ever, she  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  with  some 
degree  of  confidence,  and  with  the  assurance 
that  its  contemplation  would  be  a  source  of 
delight  to  Hendrick,  as  it  always  was  to  her- 
self:  the  great  natural  heauty  of  the  country 
she  inhahited. 

She  spoke  in  raptures  of  the  grand  old 
river  that  lay  before  them ;  of  the  lovely 
Valley  of  the  Minisink,  of  many  days'  travel 
in  extent,  which  the  waters  of  this  river 
adorned.  She  described  the  numerous  water- 
falls on  its  tributaries,  and  gave  the  eupho- 
nious and  expressive  titles  by  which  they 
were  known.  And,  above  all,  the  majesty 
of  the  surrounding  hills,  and  that  grand 
stretch  of  mountain  bordering  the  river  that 
shut  out  the  light  of  early  day,  and  which 
had  no  ending.* 

She  spoke  of  the  old  tradition  of  this  beau- 
tiful valley  having  once  been  a  deep  sea 
of  water,  and  the  bursthig  asunder  of  the 
mountains  at  the  will  of  the  Great  Spirit,  to 
uncover  for  the  home  of  her  people  the  vale 

*  Kitochtanemin,  Kittatinny,  endless  mountain. 


120  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

of  the  Minisink  ;  the  mighty  chasm  in  the 
mountain,  and  the  twin  giants  overlooking 
the  vast  extent  of  country  to  the  rising  sun, 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  Hendrick  had 
only  seen  the  Delaware  Water  Qap^  from  the 
town  where  Winona  resided.  She  now  pro- 
posed to  him  a  visit  from  Wyomissing  in  her 
canoe  to  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  and  to  ascend 
by  the  Indian  trail  to  the  summit,  and  Hen- 
drick's  next  visit  was  agreed  upon  for  this 
excursion. 

In  the  meantime,  the  English  government 
had  obtained  possession  of  New  York,  and 
after  the  surrender  of  Stuyvesant,  the  Dutch 
Governor,  orders  were  sent  out  to  Van  Allen 
to  abandon  the  mining  operations  in  the 
Minisink,  and  to  report  to  his  government 
without  delay.f  The  news  fell  like  a  leaden 
weight  upon  Hendrick's  heart ;  all  his  fair 

*  The  "  Gap  "  was  called  by  the  Indians  Pohoqicalin,  which 
word  signifies  the  termination  of  two  mountains  with  a  stream 
passing  between  them. 

The  river  was  called  Lenapewihittuck,  the  river  of  the 
Lenape.  Mack-er-isk-iskan,  seems  to  have  been  a  place  in 
the  river,  and  not  the  name  of  the  river  itself. 

f  In  the  expedition  fitted  out  by  the  English  government 
in  1664,  which  captured  New  ]N"etherlands  (New  York)  from 
the  Dutch,  the  writer's  great-great-great-grandfather  was  a 
captain. 


WINONA,  OR   THE    STORY   OF   LOVER'S    LEAP.      121 

prospects  were  blasted  in  a  moment,  and  his 
first  thoughts  were,  how  to  break  the  sad 
intelligence  to  Winona. 

He  met  her  at  the  appointed  time.  She 
appeared  lovelier  than  ever  before,  and  man- 
ifested more  than  her  accustomed  vivacity. 
She  was  dressed  mostly  after  the  custom  of 
her  white  lady  friends,  through  whom  she 
had  ordered  from  abroad,  a  habit  of  rich 
crimson  cloth,  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  made 
somewhat  after  the  style,  which  in  modern 
days  has  vainly  struggled  for  supremacy, 
known  as  the  "  Bloomer."  She  wore  her 
long  hair  in  plaits  reaching  near  her  feet. 
Her  head  was  usually  adorned  with  a  wreath 
made  from  the  gay  plumage  of  birds ;  but 
was  now  crowned  with  wild  flowers.  Her 
jewels  were  the  finer  quality  of  the  minerals 
common  to  the  country.  She  wore  a  neck- 
lace of  beads,  composed  of  cry stallized  quartz, 
party-colored  jasper,  and  some  of  the  varie- 
ties^of  agate.*  And  estimating  their  value 
by  the  amount  of  labor  bestowed  upon  their 

*  Some  stone  beads,  of  the  above-described  material,  have 
been  obtained  from  Indian  graves  along  the  river,  of  such 
finished  workmanship,  as  almost  to  baflle  modern  skill,  as- 
sisted by  modern  appliances. 

11* 


122  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

finish,  they  would  rival  the  more  costly  of 
those  worn  by  modern  belles. 

Winona  made  the  best  use  of  her  knowl- 
edge of  the  locality,  and  conducting  the 
canoe  herself,  she  let  it  glide  so  quietly  over 
the  waters  as  to  afford  the  best  opportunity 
for  witnessing  the  different  objects  of  inter- 
est, none  of  which  escaped  Winona's  obser- 
vation. And  she  gave  such  vivid  descrip- 
tions of  the  lovely  scenes  before  them  as  to 
startle  Hendrick  from  the  sad  reverie  in 
which  he  was  indulging.  At  the  junction 
of  the  Analoming  with  the  Delaware,  which 
she  termed  "the  marriage  of  the  waters," 
she  rested  her  boat  to  point  out  one  of  the 
favorite  haunts  of  her  youth,  in  the  grove 
bordering  these  two  streams,  and  where  her 
father  first  permitted  her  to  prove  her  skill 
with  the  bow  and  arrow,  on  as  large  and 
highly  prized  game  as  the  forest  elk ;  and 
though  he  stood  with  his  own  bow  ready 
drawn,  he  did  not  have  occasion  to  sgeed 
the  arrow,  as  hers  proved  quite  effectual. 

The  contrast  between  this  and  former 
meetings  of  Winona  and  Hendrick  was 
marked.  Winona  now  afforded  the  intel- 
lectual entertainment.     They  each  had  ac- 


WINONA,   OR   THE    STORY   OF   LOVER'S   LEAP.      123 

quired  a  good  knowledge  of  the  other's  lan- 
guage ;  but,  at  the  request  of  Hendrick,  on 
this  occasion  Winona  spoke  in  her  native 
tongue,  and  he  thought  her  truly  eloquent. 
In  their  ascent  up  the  mountain,  Winona 
proved  herself  familiar  with  every  crag  and 
cliiF;  every  murmuring  rill  or  gurgling  brook, 
to  most  of  which  she  had  herself  been  the 
intelligent  nomenclatress ;  and  she  discov- 
ered and  pointed  out  beauty  everywhere, 
from  the  mossy  carpet  under  their  feet  to 
the  extended  panorama  from  the  towering 
summit ;  and,  but  for  the  sorrowful  revela- 
tion Hendrick  was  soon  to  make,  this  would 
have  been  the  charmed  day  of  their  lives. 
They  had  now  descended  from  Mount  Minsi, 
and  were  seated  on  a  mossy  bed  overlooking 
the  river  as  it  slowly  wound  its  way  through 
the  narrowing  gorge.  Hendrick  had  tried 
to  conceal  the  burden  that  was  pressing  so 
heavily  upon  him ;  but  Winona  had  discov- 
ered his  unwonted  quiet,  and  after  having 
several  times  rallied  him  from  his  abstracted 
moods,  she  now,  in  sympathy  with  him,  was 
silent  and  contemplative. 

This  silence  reigned  for  several  minutes ; 
the  fated  moment  had  now  arrived.     Hen- 


124  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

drick  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  leav- 
ing without  communicating  the  cause  of  his 
separation ;  and  though  he  loved  Winona 
sufficiently  well  to  make  her  his  bride,  his 
relation  to  his  government  was  such  as  to 
forbid  the  possibility  of  his  taking  her  with 
him  as  his  wife,  even  if  she  should  consent 
to  such  an  arrangement  (her  relation  to,  and 
fondness  for  her  own  people  rendering  it 
quite  improbable),  and  Hendrick  did  not  dare 
to  hold  out  the  promise  of  ever  being  able 
to  return  to  claim  her  in  her  own  country, 
though  he  entertained  a  secret  hope  that 
such  happiness  might  be  in  store.  It  does 
not  appear,  however,  that  Hendrick  dreamed 
of  the  extent  of  Winona's  passion  for  him, 
and  how  it  had  deepened  since  their  last 
meeting. 

At  length,  he  drew  forth  the  fatal  letter 
containing  the  peremptory  orders  from  his 
government,  and  made  known  to  Winona 
its  startling  contents. 

She  gave  vent  to  no  unusual  emotions ; 
did  not  shriek;  did  not  shed  a  tear;  did  not 
even  murmur  at  the  terrible  blow  that  fell 
upon  her  with  a  force  sufficient  to  crush  a 
weaker  mind  to  earth.     She  paused  but  for 


WINONA,  OR   THE    STORY   OF   LOVER'S   LEAP.      125 

a  moment,  then  standing  firm  and  erect  as 
the  forest  oak,  displaying  the  heroism  of  her 
noble  ancestry,  but,  alas,  resolved  upon  a 
purpose  so  common  with  her  people,  and 
which  Hendrick  did  not  in  time  discover. 

With  unfaltering  voice  she  addressed  him 
in  the  following  words  : 

"  Winona's  sun  has  set  forever  ! 
She  awakes  from  a  heautiful  dream  ; 
But  such  a  dream, 

The  gladdening  beams  of  morning  light 
Do  not  dispel. 

0  thou  loveliest  of  Winona's  images  ! 
Thou  fairest  of  her  creations, 
And  thou  skilfullest  of  limners  ! 
Canst  thou  behold  the  picture 
Thy  noble  self  hath  painted. 
On  the  virgin  heart  of  Winona? 
It  shall  not  be  blotted  out ; 
Winona  will  wear  it 
In  the  spirit  land, 
And  cherish  it  there. 
Winona  doubteth  not 
The  love  that  Hendrick  bears  her  ; 
But  the  fashion  of  his  love 
Is  not  like  Winona's. 
Hendrick's  love  may  melt  away 
Like  the  snows  of  winter 
In  a  new  sunlight. 
The  current  of  the  deep  river 
Flows  on  forever ; 

So  does  the  love  of  Lenape's  daughter. 
But  Winona  will  not  stay 
To  stem  the  current  alone. 


126  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

The  Great  Spirit  who  rules  the  heavens 

Is  the  Father  of  Winona's  people : 

He  calls  Winona  home. 

Hendrick's  duty  bids  him  away 

Beyond  the  great  waters. 

Let  him  go  hence, 

Beloved  of  Winona ! 

Winona  would  not  chide 

The  dear  author  of  these  fleeting  joys  ; 

The  unwilling  cause 

Of  this  deadliest  sorrow. 

Winona  would  die, 

And  live  to  die  again. 

Once  more  to  feel  the  gentle  current, 

The  rising,  swelling,  joyous  torrent, 

Flowing  from  this  fount  of  love. 

Farewell,  brother ! 

Tutor,  lover ! 

Winona's  sun  has  set  forever." 

In  a  moment,  she  disappeared  from  view. 
Hendrick  ran  to  the  cliff,  caught  her  in  his 
arms;  they  reeled  on  the  precipice,  and — 


c    r   cc    c 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.      127 


A  Legend  of  the  Delaware  Water  Gap. 

BY    MRS.    E.    S.    SWIFT. 

"  And  then  their  love  was  secret.     0,  it  is 
Most  exquisite  to  have  a  fount  of  bliss 
Sacred  to  us  alone  !  " 

Miss  Lanbon. 

I  WAS  spending  a  week  with  a  party  of 
friendsj  at  the  Delaware  Water  Gap.  We 
had  just  returned  from  a  delightful  ramble 
through  the  woods  to  Flat  Kock,  and  were 
seated  on  the  piazza  of  the  hotel,  watching 
the  lights  and  shadows  of  the  passing  clouds 
on  the  Jersey  Mountain,  which  rose  to  the 
height  of  sixteen  hundred  feet,  immediately 
opposite  to  us.  The  day,  though  late  in 
August,  was  as  capricious  as  one  in  April. 
Sunshine  and  showers  had  alternated  with 
the  hours;  the  sun,  a  few  moments  previous, 
had  been  bathing  the  wooded  summit  of  the 
mountain  in  a  flood  of  golden  radiance, 
piercing  the  thickets  of  underwood,  and  re- 
vealing to  the  curious  eye  many  a  leafy 
nook  of  vernal  beauty;  now,  it  was  rain- 
ing heavily,  and  the  dull  plashing  sound  of 


128  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

the  rain-drops,  as  they  fell  upon  the  river 
immediately  beneath  us,  imparted  to  us  all 
a  sensation  of  melancholy.  We  were  sud- 
denly aroused  by  Emily  exclaiming  :  "Look 
down  the  Gap ;  see,  the  sun  is  already  shin- 
ing there;  surely  this  place  is  bewitched; 
do  look  at  the  rainbow  on  the  water !  "* 

We  all  arose,  and  gazed  in  the  direction 
to  which  she  pointed  our  attention,  and  one 
of  the  most  vivid-colored  rainbows  I  ever 
beheld  lay  pictured  across  the  river  from 
shore  to  shore.  In  vain  we  strained  our 
eyes  in  all  directions  towards  the  sky ;  the 
dull,  leaden-hued  clouds  above  us  gave  no 
history  of  the  beautiful  vision.  For  a  few 
minutes  the  bow  of  promise  rested  on  the 
stormy  waters,  then  its  rich  painting  of 
many  colors  faded  from  our  sight. 

In  about  half  an  hour  the  sun  was  again 
shining  merrily,  and  every  leaf  and  sprig 
seemed  hung  with  precious  gems.  The  air 
was  laden  with  the  perfume  from  the  woods, 
and  as  the  cool  breezes  swept  across  the 
piazza,  we  knew  they  had  passed  over  lone 
coverts  of  romantic   beauty,  where  fairies 

*  The  landlord  of  the  Gap  Hotel  told  us  that,  once  before, 
he  had  witnessed  a  similar  sight. 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.      129 

might  hide,  and  where  the  ferns,  the  mosses, 
and  the  wild-flowers  grew.  We  had  worn 
out  dresses  and  shoes  in  our  daily  visits  to 
the  Pennsylvania  and  Jersey  Mountains; 
we  had  been  pioneered  by  our  good-natured 
landlord  and  his  pretty  little  twins  to  all 
the  known  lions  of  the  Gap ;  but  we  were 
hourly  making  voyages  of  discovery  for  our- 
selves ;  and  when  we  assembled  around  the 
well-provided  table  of  our  host,  each  had  his 
or  her  adventure  to  relate.  One  had  found 
out  an  echo  in  the  deep  forest  that  answered 
to  every  word;  another  had  been  botanizing, 
and  the  mantle-stand  was  filled  with  tum- 
blers of  gorgeous-colored  flowers;  another, 
a  disciple  of  old  Isaac  Walton,  had  been 
angling,  and  a  dish  of  fine  sunfish  attested 
his  success.  In  the  evenings,  the  piazza  was 
our  favorite  promenade.  We  had  some  de- 
lightful musicians  with  us,  and  in  music  and 
conversation  the  hours  glided  away  with 
such  rapidity,  that  we  always  expressed  sur- 
prise at  the  shortness  of  the  evening,  when 
our  host  announced  that  eleven  o'clock  had 
struck.  Our  party  consisted  of  six  ladies 
and  four  gentlemen,  all  unmarried;  but,  very 
12 


130  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

unfortunately,  we  were  too  closely  related 
for  Cupid  to  show  his  face  amongst  us. 

"  What !  "  I  hear  my  reader  exclaim,  "  no 
love  1  I  would  not  give  a  fig  for  such  a 
story."  Nor  I  either,  dear  reader ;  particu- 
larly as  the  scene  is  laid  in  the  Delaware 
Gap  —  the  very  headquarters  of  the  wily 
god,  where  nature,  in  her  most  glorious 
dress,  keeps  jubilee; 

"And  where,  beneath,  around,  above, 
Earth,  water,  air,  seem  full  of  love." 

Ah  !^  the  deep  recesses  of  those  forest 
shades,  the  close  intricacies  of  those  verdant 
aisles,  how  often  have  their  silence  aud  soli- 
tudes been  the  chosen  sanctuaries  for  love's 
impassioned  confessions;  and  hearts  have 
been  united  in  those  solemn  old  woods, 
never  again  to  be  riven  asunder ;  and  there, 
perchance, 

^*  Young  hearts  were  plighted  when  the  storms 
Wer€  dark  upon  life's  sky. 
In  full,  deep  knowledge  of  their  task, 
To  suffer  and  to  die." 

"  The  rain  was  over  and  gone,"  and  the 
afternoon  was  so  serene  and  beautiful,  we 
all  sailed  down  to  the  shore,  and  soon  filled 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE   DELAWARE   WATER   GAP.      131 

the  only  boat  belonging  to  the  establish- 
ment. Josephine,  a  very  lovely  girl  from 
Baltimore,  sat,  like  the  queen  of  beauty,  on 
the  prow  of  the  boat,  singing  snatches  of 
old  songs,  in  the  gayety  of  her  heart.  She 
was  one  of  the  brightest-looking  beings  I 
ever  belield;  tall  and  graceful,  with  a  face 
of  uncommon  loveliness;  her  complexion 
was  soft  and  transparent,  and  the  slightest 
emotion  tinted  her  delicate  cheek  with  the 
glow  of  damask  rose ;  her  eyes  of  dark  blue 
were  shaded  by  long  black  lashes,  which 
imparted  a  peculiar  tenderness  to  their  ex- 
pression ;  her  hair,  also  black,  clustered  in 
short  thick  curls  around  her  small  and  finely 
shaped  head.  Occasionally,  she  would  pause 
in  her  songs,  and  a  shade  of  sorrow,  it  might 
be  of  memory,  would  flit  across  her  face. 
An  enthusiast  in  her  love  of  nature,  she 
sat  gazing  upon  the  beautiful  scenery,  now 
warbling  like  a  bird,  and  anon  calling  our 
attention  to  some  bold  projecting  cliff,  that 
looked  from  its  elevation  ready  to  fall  and 
crush  us. 

As  our  boat  glided  into  the  deep  waters 
of  the  Gap,  we  all  kept  silence.  Shut  out 
from  the  world  by  the  towering  mountains 


132  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

on  each  side  of  us,  with  naught  but  the  sky 
above  and  the  dark  river  rolling  beneath 
us,  an  awe  as  of  some  mighty  presence  fell 
upon  our  spirits ;  and  as  we  emerged  from 
the  solemn  gloom  of  that  magnificent  scene, 
the  tones  of  our  voices  were  more  softened, 
conversation  took  a  more  serious  cast,  and 
we  felt  like  those  who  had  recently  been 
engaged  in  some  holy  religious  service. 

But,  full  of  life  and  youth,  as  a  few  rapid 
strokes  of  the  oar  brought  our  boat  into  the 
glad  sunshine,  we  again  awakened  the  echoes 
with  songs  and  laughter.  Cousin  Tom,  as 
we  called  a  fine-looking  young  man  of  five- 
and-twenty,  had  arrayed  himself  in  all  the 
various-colored  shawls  of  the  party,  and 
from  his  picturesque  appearance,  might  have 
been  mistaken  for  Osceola,  or  some  other 
renowned  Indian  warrior ;  he  now  proposed 
to  land  us  on  the  Jersey  shore,  just  at  the 
point  where  the  river  makes  an  abrupt  turn, 
one  of  the  most  romantic  spots  imaginable. 
Here,  while  we  were  seated  on  the  trunk  of 
an  enormous  tree,  that  had  been  struck  by 
lightning  some  years  previous,  and  still  laid, 
as  it  had  fallen,  close  to  the  shore,  Emilie 
impatiently  exclaimed — 


A    LEGEND    OF    THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.      133 

"  What  a  pity  it  is  that  there  is  no  legend 
connected  with  this  sublime  place ;  how  de- 
lightful it  would  be  now  to  listen  to  some 
interesting  story  of  the  past." 

"  Why,  ladies !"  replied  her  brother, 
"  among  so  many  fair  creatures,  surely  you 
have  some  modern  reminiscences  that  would 
make  very  pretty  wayside  tales ;  some  diary 
of  a  heart,  for  instance ;  some  stray  leaves 
from  Love's  Album." 

"  Yes,"  said  Cousin  Tom,  "  I  am  sure 
these  girls  have  lots  of  love  secrets ;  here  is 
Josa,  now,  looking  so  demure  and  modest, 
she  has  never  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty 
without  making  some  acquaintance  with 
Cupid,  I  know ;  come,  blossom,  let  us  have 
the  last  passion." 

We  all  turned  our  eyes  on  Josephine  ;  but 
the  agitation  and  annoyance  depicted  on 
her  sweet  face  was  distressing;  her  brow 
and  cheek  for  a  moment  mantled  with  the 
tell-tale  crimson,  and,  the  next  instant,  the 
pallor  of  death  settled  on  every  feature. 
Cousin  Tom,  in  his  careless  badinage,  had 
evidently  touched  a  wound,  not  yet  closed. 
An  embarrassing  sil^ence  followed  ;  but  we 
were  relieved  by  Emilie  exclaiming — 

12* 


134  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

"  See,  we  shall  have  company,  at  last,  at 
the  Gap  House ;  there  are  two  gentlemen 
on  horseback  on  the  opposite  side." 

For  a  short  period  they  were  seen  slowly 
ascending  the  rough  and  hilly  road  ;  but  the 
thick  hedge  of  laurels  by  which  it  was  bor- 
dered, soon  concealed  them  from  our  view. 
Our  next  movement  was  to  try  and  arrive 
at  the  Hotel  before  them,  and  make  our- 
selves presentable  at  supper,  for  the  sun 
had  already  disappeared,  and  the  twilight, 
which  in  this  mountainous  pass  is  so  rapidly 
succeeded  by  night,  was  fast  approaching. 
Hitherto,  we  had  been  the  only  visitors  at 
the  Gap,  and  had  the  house  all  to  ourselves; 
consequently,  being  a  family  party,  we  were 
not  as  particular  in  our  costumes  as  we  would 
have  been  had  strangers  been  present.  A 
half  an  hour  of  fast  rowing  soon  brought  us 
to  the  landing-place  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks, 
close  to  the  Hotel ;  and  we  had  just  time  to 
arrange  our  dresses  and  meet  together  on 
our  favorite  lounge,  the  piazza,  when  the 
sound  of  hoofs  warned  us  that  the  travellers 
had  arrived ;  but,  strange  to  say,  but  one 
solitary  horseman  appeared.  Here,  then, 
was  a  mystery.     What  had  become  of  the 


A    LEGEND    OF    THE    DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.      135 

other  ?  We  had  all  distinctly  seen  two  gen- 
tlemen, and  there  was  no  other  house  on  the 
road  except  an  old  dilapidated  tavern  far 
down  in  the  gloomiest  part  of  the  Gap,  a 
place  we  were  sure  no  traveller  in  his  senses 
would  halt  at,  with  our  commodious  Hotel 
in  prospect,  for,  as  it  was  situated  upon  a 
high  hill,  it  could  be  seen  from  a  considera- 
ble distance. 

Cousin  Tom  capered  about  as  if  he  had 
gone  mad,  declaring  "  it  was  delightful,  a 
perfect  Radcliffe  adventure;  he  had  no  doubt 
the  next  morning  the  traveller  would  be 
found  concealed  in  a  laurel  thicket,  stark 
dead,  with  a  bowie-knife  sticking  in  his 
heart." 

Emilie  laughed,  and  averred  ^'  that  here- 
after she  should  be  a  convert  to  old  Cotton 
Mather;  henceforth,  she  would  be  a  faith- 
ful believer  in  witchcraft.  That  lonely  road 
looked  like  a  haunt  for  gnomes,  witches,  and 
all  the  dread  family  of  evil  spirits." 

In  the  midst  of  our  conjectures  and  dis- 
cussions the  supper-bell  rang,  and  I  believe 
each  of  us  felt  some  curiosity  to  see  the  new- 
comer. A  slight-made  young  man,  dressed 
in  black,  with  a  very  intellectual  face,  stood 


136  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

conversing  with  our  host  in  the  supper-room, 
who  introduced  him  to  the  company  by  the 
name  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Bennett.  I  ex- 
changed a  hasty  glance  with  Cousin  Tom ; 
his  conceit  of  a  murdered  traveller  by  such 
white  clerical  hands  seemed  so  ridiculous 
that  I  could  with  much  difficulty  refrain 
from  laughing,  as  I  returned  the  gentle- 
man's salutation.  An  hour  was  spent  after 
supper  in  social  conversation,  when  Mr. 
Bennett,  pleading  fatigue,  retired  for  the 
night. 

We  immediately  called  the  landlord  to 
know  if  Mr.  Bennett  had  mentioned  having 
a  companion  with  him. 

"Yes;  a  friend  of  his  had  intended  to 
have  accompanied  him  to  the  Gap,  but  his 
horse  had  unfortunately  fallen  lame  on  the 
route,  and  he  was  for  the  present  obliged  to 
remain  a  short  distance  behind." 

''  But,  where  ?  where  ?"  we  all  exclaimed. 

"  The  gentleman  did  not  mention  where 
he  had  left  his  friend,"  but  our  host  supposed 
about  two  miles  below,  opposite  Columbia ; 
the  only  stopping-place  that  he  was  aware 
of,  near  the  Gap. 

We  did  not  think  it  expedient  to  tell  him 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  DELAWARE  WATER  GAP.   137 

that  we  had  seen  both  gentlemen  not  a  mile 
from  his  hotel ;  and  we  thought  it  hardly 
probable  that  a  traveller  would  journey  two 
miles  over  one  of  the  worst  roads  in  Penn- 
sylvania, to  shelter  a  lame  animal,  when  his 
stables  were  direct  in  his  way,  and  not  half 
the  distance. 

Long,  that  night,  after  we  had  sought  our 
chambers,  we  conversed  about  the  missing 
traveller.  Josephine  and  myself  shared  the 
same  room,  and  I  was  sitting  at  the  window 
gazing  down  the  road,  now  illuminated  by 
the  moonlight,  when  a  sob  from  my  com- 
panion made  me  start.  She  was  standing 
by  the  dressing-table,  reading  a  closely  writ- 
ten note ;  so  absorbed  was  she  in  her  occu- 
pation, that  she  appeared  unconscious  of  my 
presence;  twice  she  perused  the  note  through 
blinding  tears;  then,  passionately  kissing  the 
paper,  she  threw  herself  on  the  bed  in  a  par- 
oxysm of  grief.  Surprised  as  well  as  alarmed 
by  such  a  display  of  sorrow  in  one  generally 
so  cheerful,  I  approached,  and  throwing  my 
arms  around  her,  begged  her  to  be  calm,  and 
tell  me  the  cause  of  such  sudden  distress. 

"  Oh,  cousin !  I  cannot  be  calm,"  she  ex- 
claimed ;  "  he  is  here." 


138  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

"Who,  dear  Josa?" 

"  Henry,"  answered  she,  wildly  gazing  at 
me ;  "  my  Henry,  w^hom  I  love  better  than 
life ;  he  whom  my  father  has  forbidden  me, 
on  pain  of  his  endless  displeasure,  to  see  or 
speak  to  again  ;  and  cousin,"  added  she,  wdth 
trembling  lips,  "  I  have  solemnly  promised 
to  obey  him ;"  and  again  she  buried  her  sweet 
tearful  face  in  the  pillow.  For  some  time 
she  wept  as  if  her  heart  were  breaking ;  but, 
by  degrees  becoming  more  calm,  she  confided 
to  me  her  "  story  of  true  love." 

Her  father,  Mr.  Gorden,  was  an  eminent 
physician  in  Baltimore,  in  a  successful  prac- 
tice of  about  ten  thousand  a  year.  He  was 
one  of  those  fortunate  individuals  with  which 
our  country  abounds,  who,  by  superior  tal- 
ents and  industry,  had  risen  from  the  mid- 
dle ranks  of  life,  to  take  an  acknowledged 
station  among  the  aristocracy  of  the  land. 
Josephine  was  his  idol;  proud  and  over- 
bearing to  all  the  world  beside,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  beautiful  child  his  nature  be- 
came softened  to  almost  feminine  tenderness. 
Her  education  and  accomplishments  had 
been  his  peculiar  care ;  his  indulgence  to- 
wards her  knew  no  bounds ;  the  expensive 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.      139 

presents  he  constantly  lavished  upon  her 
silently  attested  how  well  he  loved  her; 
money  was  dross  in  his  eyes  compared  to 
her  happiness  or  enjoyment;  yet,  strange 
to  relate,  he  had  refused  the  hand  of  his 
daughter  to  Harry  Le  Roy,  because  he  was 
not  rich. 

A  gentleman,  whose  only  recommendation 
was  his  immense  wealth,  was  the  suitor  upon 
whom  his  choice  fell.  Married  to  him,  Jose- 
phine's establishment  would  be  of  almost 
regal  splendor,  his  ambitious  dreams  for  her 
aggrandizement  would  be  fully  realized ;  and 
he  still  trusted  that  her  filial  affection  and 
reverence  for  his  wishes  and  opinions  would 
prevail  over  the  love  she  confessed  for  Le 
Roy;  and  in  his  proud  imaginings  he  already 
beheld  his  darling  girl  the  wife  of  the  mil- 
lion naire. 

Harry  Le  Roy  had  been  dismissed  with 
coldness  and  hauteur,  that  to  one  of  his  ar- 
dent temperament  and  Southern  blood  had 
been  interpreted  into  a  direct  and  deliberate 
insult.  The  bitterness  of  his  outraged  feel- 
ings had  been  increased  by  several  letters 
that  he  had  written  to  Josephine  being  re- 
turned unopened,  and  his  being  informed 


140  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

that  slie  had  left  Baltimore  to  visit  some 
relations  in  a  distant  State.  No  definite  in- 
formation could  be  obtained,  and,  wretched 
and  hopeless,  he  had  resorted  to  travel,  to 
deaden  the  misery  of  his  mind. 

By  the  merest  chance,  in  Philadelphia,  he 
obtained  intelligence  that  she  had  accom- 
panied a  party  of  her  relations  in  an  excur- 
sion to  the  Delaware  Water  Gap.  His  reso- 
lution was  instantly  formed ;  he  would  follow 
her,  see  her,  and  learn  his  doom  from  her 
own  lips. 

The  mystery  was  now  solved.  Harry  Le 
Roy  was  the  missing  traveller.  His  tender- 
ness for  the  feelings  of  Josephine  would 
not  permit  him  to  appear  before  her  unan- 
nounced ;  and  he  had  remained  in  the  soli- 
tary old  house  in  the  Gap,  whilst  his  friend, 
Mr.  Bennett,  had  preceded  him  to  our  hotel. 

"  Here,  dearest  Josephine,"  the  note  went 
on  to  sa}^,  "  I  await  your  decision ;  to  me,  it 
will  be  happiness  or  misery,  life  or  death. 
The  yearning  love  that  fills  my  heart  for 
you  must  be  satisfied  with  the  sight  of  that 
dear  face.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  any  longer 
exist  without  your  presence.  My  Josephine ; 
my  beautiful,  my  own ;  yes,  my  own !  for 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.     141 

hearts  that  have  been  cemented  like  ours 
cannot  be  disunited  by  any  earthly  fiat. 
When  and  where  we  shall  meet,  I  leave  to 
you,  my  best  beloved ;  but  in  a  few  hours  I 
hope  to  hold  you  to  a  heart  which,  since  we 
parted,  has  been  filled  with  but  one  long 
thought  of  thee — only  thee." 

I  confess,  after  reading  this  note,  I  never 
felt  more  perplexed  in  my  life.  I  was  some 
years  older  than  Josephine,  and  I  knew  she 
would  depend  upon  me  for  advice  and  as- 
sistance; but  I  also  knew  that  her  father 
would  never  forgive  any  interference  with 
his  commands ;  for  the  lovers  to  meet  would 
be  madness — but  how  was  I  to  prevent  it  ? 
After  a  few  moments  of  troubled  cogitation, 
I  determined  to  remain  neutral,  and  let 
things  take  their  course.  I  knew  that  wicked 
urchin,  Cupid,  was  not  to  be  told,  "Thus 
far  shalt  thou  go,  and  no  further;"  and  I 
foresaw  that  he  intended  to  play  some  of  his 
most  mischievous  pranks  in  this  sequestered 
spot,  that  looked  as  if  it  had  been  expressly 
created  to  be  the  earthly  Eden  of  his  vota- 
ries. Josephine  sat  watching  ray  countenance 
with  breathless  eagerness ;  she  looked  like  a 
sculptured  image,  so  pale  and  still.     Gently 

13 


142  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

lifting  the  dark  ringlets  that  shaded  her 
cheek,  I  softly  kissed  it ;  the  electric  chord 
of  sympathy  vibrated  in  each  bosom,  and 
without  my  uttering  a  word,  she  felt  that  I 
would  aid  and  assist  her;  and,  throwing 
herself  on  my  bosom,  she  wept  like  a  child. 
After  much  persuasion,  I  induced  her  to 
retire  to  rest ;  but  her  slumbers  were  broken 
and  uneasy ;  she  repeatedly  murmured  the 
name  of  her  lover ;  and  I  saw,  by  the  night- 
lamp,  large  tear-drops  glistening  on  her 
fringed  eyelids.  Once,  in  supplicating  ac- 
cents, she  exclaimed,  "Father!  dear  father!" 
The  next  morning,  Mr.  Bennett  proposed  an 
excursion  to  Stroudsburg,  a  village  a  few 
miles  distant  from  the  Gap.  Josephine,  on 
the  plea  of  a  nervous  headache,  had  not 
appeared  at  the  breakfast-table;  and  when 
the  rest  of  the  party  gladly  acceded  to  his 
proposal,  I  excused  myself  as  nurse  to  the 
invalid.  Mr.  Bennett  gave  me  a  quick 
glance  of  intelligence,  and  handing  me  a 
bouquet  of  wild  roses,  begged  "  I  would  pre- 
sent them,  with  his  compliments,  to  Miss 
Gorden." 

The  carriages  were  soon  at  the  door ;  and 
with  many  regrets  that  I  could  not  go  with 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.      143 

them,  to  my  great  relief  they  departed.  I 
immediately  ascended  to  Josephine's  cham- 
ber, and  found  her  sitting  by  the  window, 
quite  calm  and  composed.  In  my  absence, 
she  had  taken  a  sudden  resolve  to  see  Le 
Roy.  ^^She  would,"  she  said,  "tell  him  of 
the  solemn  promise  her  father  had  exacted 
from  her ;  she  would  convince  him  it  were 
better  that  they  should  not  meet  again  ;  for 
the  last  time  she  would  hear  his  voice  and 
see  his  face.  0  ! "  continued  she,  with  quiv- 
ering accents,  "  situated  as  I  now  am,  even 
my  dear  father  would  not  object  to  this  in- 
terview." 

I  had  given  her  the  bouquet  of  roses,  and 
whilst  speaking  she  had  loosened  the  cord 
that  bound  them  together,  intending  to  ar- 
range them  in  a  china  vase  that  stood  on 
the  table,  when  a  small  twisted  note,  that 
had  been  concealed  in  the  centre  of  the 
bunch,  fell  to  the  floor;  with  a  glowing 
cheek  she  raised  it,  saying,  "  0,  this  is  so 
like  Harry  !  How  many  bouquets  of  white 
camelias  he  used  to  send  me !  but  in  my 
eagerness  to  secure  the  dear  little  billet  doitx 
that  I  knew  nestled  inside,  the  poor  flowers 
often  perished." 


144  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

She  eagerly  perused  the  well-known  char- 
acters, and  whilst  she  did  so,  her  beautiful 
face  became  radiant  with  happiness.  I  never 
saw  joy  so  vividly  depicted  on  any  other 
countenance. 

"  0,  cousin  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  he  will  be 
here  in  ten  minutes,  and  I  have  not  seen 
him  for,  ah,  me !  so  many  long  months." 

Tears  of  rapture  glittered  in  her  soft  eyes, 
and  she  yielded  herself  to  the  delicious  in- 
toxication the  certainty  of  seeing  him  again 
inspired,  apparently  thoughtless  of  all  con- 
sequences. I  will  not  portray  their  meeting, 
for  Josephine  insisted  upon  my  being  pres- 
ent. Theirs  was  no  common  attachment; 
every  impulse  of  their  souls  was  given  to 
each  other ;  few  words  were  spoken,  but  as 
he  held  her  to  his  heart,  every  feature  pro- 
claimed the  victory  of  love.  The  hours  to 
them  seemed  but  minutes;  and  when  at 
last,  fearful  of  being  surprised  by  our  return- 
ing party,  I  gently  hinted  to  him  it  was  time 
to  depart,  he  saucily  told  me  "  he  did  not 
intend  to  go  at  all."  But  at  length,  after 
Josephine  promising  him,  if  I  would  accom- 
pany her,  to  meet  him  in  the  afternoon,  in 
the  old  road,  a  sequestered  spot  near  a  water- 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  DELAWARE  WATER  GAP.  145 

fall,  immediately  beneath  the  Hotel,  but  by 
a  steep  bank  of  rocks  completely  concealed 
from  observation,  he  consented  to  leave  her. 

She  watched  him,  as  he  slowly  paced 
along  the  road,  until  he  was  hidden  from 
her  sight ;  and  then,  for  the  first  time,  the 
thought  was  awakened  in  her  mind,  that 
she  had  broken  the  pledge  she  had  given 
her  father,  and,  contrary  to  his  known  com- 
mand, was  again  about  to  hold  a  clandestine 
interview  with  her  lover.  The  struggle  in 
her  mind  was  intense ;  her  wounded  con- 
science rebelled  against  her  disobedience ; 
she  was  distracted  with  contending  emo- 
tions, for  she  was  most  tenderly  attached  to 
her  father,  who  to  her  had  ever  been,  except 
in  this  only  instance,  the  most  kind  and  in- 
dulgent of  parents.  But  then,  again,  she 
had  centred  every  hope  of  her  life  upon 
Le  Roy.  What  should  she  do  ?  Repel  him 
— see  him  no  more,  forever  ?  The  thought 
had  too  much  agony  in  it  to  be  endured. 
No ;  she  would  meet  him  once  more ;  and 
then  they  would  part,  and  be  to  each  other 
like  the  dead — only  a  memory ! 

Ah,  delusive  sophistry  of  a  fond  heart! 
The  path  of  duty  is  a  straight  one ;  and  he 

13^ 


146  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

or  she  who  deviates  from  its  narrow  track 
becomes  bewildered  in  a  labyrinth  from 
which  there  is  no  return. 

The  old  road,  as  it  is  called,  now  entirely 
disused,  was  shady  and  retired ;  it  was  close 
to  the  river's  brink,  and  covered  with  a  rich 
greensward,  thickly  gemmed  with  the  blue 
forget-me-not ;  the  same  flowers  so  carefully 
cultivated  in  our  gardens,  which,  in  this 
mountain  region,  grow  wild  and  abundant. 
A  waterfall  of  considerable  height  fell  over 
a  precipice  above,  imparting  a  refreshing 
coolness  to  the  air;  huge  rocks,  of  strange 
and  irregular  shapes,  carpeted  with  thick 
moss,  lay  piled  along  the  shore,  forming  lux- 
urious resting-places  for  the  loiterer.  To 
this  spot  I  accompanied  Josephine  to  bid 
a  last  farewell  to  her  lover.  We  had  been 
now  a  week  at  the  Gap,  and  our  arrange- 
ments were  already  made  to  leave  it  the 
next  day.  As  a  turn  in  the  road  brought 
us  in  view  of  the  cascade,  we  saw  Le  Roy 
standing  with  folded  arms,  leaning  against 
the  trunk  of  a  huge  sycamore  tree,  whose 
dense  foliage  threw  a  deep  shadow  across 
the  path,  broken  by  the  golden  sunshine 
piercing  through  its  twisted  branches  into 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  DELAWARE  WATER  GAP.   147 

bright  chequers  on  the  verdant  turf.  Here, 
then, 

"Amidst  the  fall  of  waves,  the  fountain's  gush, 
The  sigh  of  winds,  the  music  heard 
At  eventide,  from  air  and  bush, 
The  minstrelsy  of  leaf  and  bird," 

these  two  fond  hearts,  full  of  warm  human 
love,  met  again,  trusting  in  their  own  strength 
to  part  forever !  I  had  seated  myself  on  a 
shelving  projection  of  rock  that  commanded 
a  view  of  the  river  for  some  distance ;  my 
own  heart  was  full  of  sad  memories,  phan- 
toms of  the  things  that  were,  and  are  not ; 
and  as  I  gazed  upon  the  lovers,  both  so 
young  and  devoted,  imaginations  of  Dryads 
and  forest  spirits,  that  in  the  olden  time 
were  thought  to  haunt  the  greenwood  shade, 
stole  over  my  senses,  and  I  almost  wished 
that  from  among  the  ancient  trees  around 
me  some  oracle  would  speak  and  divine  their 
future ! 

Le  Roy  was  a  model  of  manly  grace  and 
beauty ;  he  was  reclining  at  Josephine's  feet, 
drinking  deep  draughts  of  love  from  eyes 
whose  tender  glances  told  him,  without  the 
aid  of  words,  how  dear  he  was ;  they  had 
been  for  some  time  conversing  iu  low,  earn- 


148  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

est  tones,  he  evidently  pleading  his  passion, 
when- Josephine  called  me  to  come  to  he^ 
and,  with  much  perturbation,  informed  me 
that  she  had  consented  to  a  secret  marriage 
to  take  place  that  evening.  It  was  in  vain 
I  remonstrated,  and  painted  in  vivid  colors 
the  folly  of  such  a  proceeding.  I  spoke  of 
the  anger  of  her  father;  the  deceit  she 
would  be  practising  upon  his  fond  and  trust- 
ing affection ;  the  remorse  she  must  expe- 
rience from  such  wilful  disobedience  to  his 
wishes.  I  appealed  to  Le  Roy's  honor  and 
generosity ;  but  with  Josephine's  hand  close- 
ly clasped  in  his  own,  he  swore  he  never 
would  resign  her  but  with  life.  The  very 
name  of  Mr.  Gorden  appeared  to  awaken 
all  the  angry  passions  of  his  nature  ;  he  said 
he  had  wronged  and  insulted  him ;  that  in 
his  wanton  pride  he  had  sought  to  crush  the 
affections  of  both  their  hearts,  and  offer  up 
his  daughter  a  sacrifice  at  the  shrine  of  mam- 
mon. Josephine  pleaded  for  her  flither,  and 
bitterly  wept,  but  it  was  upon  her  lover's 
bosom.  She  seemed  to  be  surrounded  by  a 
magnetic  spell  that  she  was  unable  to  break; 
all  her  resolves  had  melted  away  before  the 
impassioned  eloquence  of  Le  Roy.     Before 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.     149 

we  had  left  the  spot,  moved  by  her  tears 
and  entreaties,  I  had  pledged  myself  to  si- 
lence and  secrecy,  and  promised  to  be  a  wit- 
ness of  their  nuptials.  It  was  arranged  to 
take  place  at  midnight,  in  the  old  house  at 
the  Gap.  Mr.  Bennett,  who  had  been  in 
orders  for  some  years,  was  to  perform  the 
ceremony. 

Le  Roy  was  not  to  claim  her  as  his  wife 
for  one  year ;  and,  in  the  meantime,  Joseph- 
ine trusted  to  soften  her  father's  prejudices, 
and,  in  some  favorable  moment,  to  reveal  to 
him  her  disobedience,  and  to  be  forgiven. 

The  clock  in  the  dining-room  had  told  the 
hour  of  twelve.  The  full  moon  shone  with 
unclouded  lustre,  as  with  noiseless  steps  we 
left  the  portico  of  the  hotel.  I  gave  a  search- 
ing glance  at  the  windows  of  the  chambers, 
but  the  white  curtains  were  closely  drawn, 
and  the  deep  stillness  that  reigned  through 
the  mansion  convinced  me  that  we  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  prying  eyes  of  cu- 
riosity. I  thought  Mr.  Bennett  seemed  more 
agitated  than  Josephine  ;  not  a  word  was 
spoken  by  either  of  us.  A  few  yards  from 
the  house,  emerging  from  the  shadow  of  a 
tree  near  the  spring,  we  met  Le  Roy.     In 


150  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

silence  he  folded  Josephine  to  his  breast, 
and  pressed  a  kiss  upon  her  cheekj'^at  I 
saw  by  the  moonlight  was  as  pale  as  mar- 
ble! 

Arrived  at  the  house,  we  were  met  by  the 
old  man  and  his  wife,  the  only  occupants  of 
that  solitary  dwelling;  they  had,  of  neces- 
sity, been  taken  into  our  confidence.  On  a 
table  in  the  small  parlor,  over  which  a  dip 
candle  shed  a  ghostly  light,  I  observed  an 
Episcopal  prayer-book,  opened  at  the  ordi- 
nance of  marriage.  All  Josephine's  firmness 
seemed  to  forsake  her  at  the  sight  of  these 
preparations,  and  she  sank  half-fainting  on 
a  chair. 

There  was  a  dread,  an  awe  upon  my  own 
spirit,  as  if  some  misfortune  was  lowering 
over  us ;  I  tried  to  shake  off  the  ominous 
feeling,  and  inspire  the  trembling  girl  with 
the  courage  I  needed  myself,  but  in  vain ; 
and  as  the  solemn  words  were  pronounced, 
so  pregnant  with  the  happiness  or  misery  of 
her  future  life,  I  thought  I  heard  the  slow 
tolling  of  a  bell,  as  if  for  a  soul  just  depart- 
ed !  The  measured  tones  fell  upon  my  ear 
with  such  distinctness  that  it  was  difficult 


A    LEGEND    OF    THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.     151 

for  me  to  convince  myself  that  it  was  a  de- 
lusion of  my  excited  senses. 

Le  Roy  insisted  upon  accompanying  us  to 
the  door  of  the  hotel,  where  he  took  a  pas- 
sionate farewell  of  his  bride;  and  without 
accident  or  interruption  we  regained  our 
chambers.  As  I  pressed  my  throbbing  head 
on  the  pillow,  I  could  scarce  believe  that  the 
events  of  the  last  few  hours  were  not  the 
illusions  of  a  distempered  dream.  Joseph- 
ine, exhausted  by  such  unwonted  excite- 
ment, was  soon  wrapt  in  profound  slumber. 
She  never  appeared  more  touchingly  lovely 
in  my  eyes :  her  cheek,  reposing  upon  an 
arm  that  looked  as  if  it  were  chiselled  from 
marble,  was  flushed  to  the  hue  of  a  ripe 
pomegranate;  her  rich  dark  hair  in  grace- 
ful ringlets  lay  in  disordered  confusion  on 
her  brow  and  bosom ;  a  smile  yet  lingered 
,upon  her  lips,  and  a  childlike  purity  and 
beauty  was  beaming  from  every  lineament 
of  her  sweet  face.  And,  alas !  she,  now 
slumbering  so  tranquilly  there,  had  taken 
the  destiny  of  her  life  in  her  own  hands. 
A  sickness  of  the  heart  oppressed  me  as  I 
asked  myself  the  momentous  question — 
would  it  be  for  good  or  for  evil  ? 


152  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

The  next  morning,  while  the  mists  were 
climbing  up  the  sides  of  the  mountains  in 
many  fantastic  shapes,  we  left  the  Water 
Gap. 

On  arriving  in  Philadelphia,  we  found 
Mr.  Gorden  awaiting  his  daughter.  The 
father  met  his  child  with  delighted  affec- 
tion ;  she  sprang  towards  him,  and  hid  her 
face  on  his  shoulder,  and  I  feared  the  excess 
of  her  emotion  would  arouse  his  suspicions. 
Her  open  and  guileless  nature  shrank  ap- 
palled from  the  task  she  had  imposed  upon 
it.  Hitherto,  there  had  been  entire  confi- 
dence between  them ;  now,  in  the  hidden 
recesses  of  her  heart  there  lay  a  dread  se- 
cret in  which  that  dear  father  must  not  par- 
ticipate. I  foresaw  that,  with  her  quick 
sensibilities,  ere  long  all  would  be  revealed. 

They  returned  to  Baltimore,  and,  six 
months  afterwards,  I  received  a  letter  from 
Josephine,  beseeching  me  to  come  to  her; 
she  said  "  that  her  life  was  a  burden  too 
heavy  to  be  borne ;  the  deceit  she  was  hour- 
ly practising  upon  a  parent,  whose  every 
thought  was  for  her  happiness,  was  preying 
upon  her  health.  Her  alarmed  and  anxious 
father   was    constantly   heaping   upon   her 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.      153 

manifestations  of  his  affection,  and  devising 
some  new  scheme  of  pleasure  to  divert  her 
mind ;  but  this  only  increased  the  remorse 
of  her  spirit.  Le  Roy,  too,  forgetful  of  his 
promises  made  at  the  Gap,  was  anxious  to 
claim  her  as  his  wife ;  he  pleaded  the  suffer- 
ings he  endured  in  hearing  vague  reports  of 
her  indisposition,  and  being  unable  to  ap- 
proach her;  he  said  it  was  impossible  for 
him,  situated  as  they  now  were,  to  pursue 
his  profession  Avith  any  success ;  that  w4th 
the  absorbing  love  that  filled  his  very  being 
for  her,  he  could  no  longer  consent  to  this 
separation,  and  live. 

There  remained,  then,  no  alternative  but 
to  hasten  to  Baltimore,  and  declare  the  po- 
sition of  Josephine  to  Mr.  Gorden.  I  found 
the  sweet  girl  looking  harassed  and  care- 
worn. For  several  days,  our  minds  were 
much  engaged  in  what  manner  we  should 
reveal  her  marriage  to  her  father.  At  length 
it  was  arranged  that  I  should  be  the  person 
to  communicate  the  intelligence ;  it  was  an 
agitating  task,  and  fearful  that  my  courage 
would  completely  fail  me,  if  it  were  any 
longer  deferred,  I  sought  an  interview  that 
afternoon  with  Mr.  Gorden. 

14 


154  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

I  was  ushered  into  a  large  and  well-filled 
library,  fitted  up  with  all  the  appliances  that 
wealth  can  command,  or  luxury  desire.  He 
was  a  fine-looking  old  gentleman  of  about 
sixty-seven,  bland  and  courteous  in  his  man- 
ners, with  all  the  refinement  and  polish  of 
the  "old  school,"  as  it  is  now  termed.  He 
received  me  with  much  politeness,  and  order- 
ing the  servant  to  place  a  chair  for  me,  beg- 
ged me  to  be  seated.  My  heart  beat  almost 
audibly.  He  observed  my  agitation,  and 
tried  to  dispel  it,  by  producing  from  a  small 
rosewood  box  a  magnificent  set  of  pearls  he 
had  purchased  that  morning,  as  a  birth-day 
present  for  his  darling  daughter.  I  felt  still 
more  oppressed  by  this  communication.  I 
dreaded  the  revulsion  of  feeling  he  would 
experience  when  I  had  made  known  my 
mission;  for  a  moment  I  hesitated;  but  I 
concluded  it  was  more  advisable  to  impart 
my  intelligence  at  once  than  to  defer  it  to 
some  other  period. 

In  as  few  words  as  possible,  I  told  my 
story;  but  I  had  not  estimated  its  effects 
upon  Mr.  Gorden.  The  treachery  of  his 
daughter  seemed  more  terrible  to  him  than 
death  itself;  his  countenance  became  fear- 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE    WATER   GAP.      155 

fully  convulsed ;  he  arose  from  his  seat,  his 
face  livid  with  passion,  and  raising  his 
clenched  hands  above  his  head,  he  impre- 
cated a  fearful  curse  upon  Josephine  and 
her  husband.  A  moment  more,  and,  struck 
with  paralysis,  he  lay  like  a  ghastly  corpse 
at  my  feet. 

For  some  weeks,  Mr.  Gorden  lingered  in 
a  critical  situation ;  all  access  to  his  cham- 
ber was  strictly  forbidden  by  his  physicians. 
Josephine's  agony  and  remorse  may  be  imag- 
ined, but  not  described ;  she  had  not  seen 
her  father  since  the  fatal  hour  in  which  I 
had  revealed  her  disobedience.  He  was  now 
pronounced  convalescent.  The  first  words 
he  uttered,  were  to  inquire  if  his  daughter 
was  yet  an  inmate  of  his  house?  On  being 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  sent  her  his 
commands  to  leave  it,  and  forever!  He 
ordered  her  wardrobe,  and  all  articles  be- 
longing to  her,  to  be  packed  up  and  sent  to 
her  address;  he  commanded  a  beautiful  full- 
length  portrait  of  her,  by  Inman,  to  be  taken 
from  the  drawing-room ;  and  forbade  any 
member  of  his  household  ever  to  name  or 
allude  to  her  in  his  presence :  he  said,  from 


156  DELAWARE    WATER   GAP. 

henceforth  he  had  no  daughter — Josephine 
no  father ! 

Two  days  thence,  the  heart-stricken  girl 
and  her  husband  were  on  the  way  to  the 
South.  There,  in  the  bosom  of  the  Le  Koy 
family,  as  the  wife  of  their  darling  Harry, 
''  the  winds  of  heaven  were  not  suffered  to 
visit  her  cheek  too  roughly,"  and  she  expe- 
rienced all  the  kindness  and  affection  her 
gentleness  and  beauty  were  so  calculated 
to  inspire.  Idolized  by  her  husband,  who 
seemed  each  day  to  become  more  devoted 
to  her;  every  effort  that  the  fondest  love 
could  devise,  to  make  her  forget  the  past, 
was  resorted  to  by  him ;  and,  to  the  super- 
ficial observer,  her  cup  of  happiness  appear- 
ed full ;  but  there  was  one  drop  whose  bit- 
terness poisoned  the  draught.  Kemem- 
brances  of  her  father,  left  desolate  in  his 
old  age ;  of  that  happy  home,  where  so  much 
indulgence  had  been  lavished  upon  her,  now 
closed  against  her  forever,  thronged  upon 
her  mind.  The  present  was  lost  in  the  past; 
she  yearned  with  painful  longings  to  throw 
herself  upon  the  breast  that  had  nurtured 
her  childhood ;  she  pined  for  the  forgiveness 
she  feared  would  never  be  accorded  to- her. 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.      157 

Letter  after  letter  had  been  written  to  her 
incensed  parent,  and  had  been  returned  with 
the  seals  unbroken. 

Before  her  husband  and  his  family,  Jo- 
sephine never  uttered  one  repining  word ; 
but,  alone  with  her  God,  she  prayed  for  the 
pardon  of  the  sin,  whose  consequences  were 
blighting  her  young  life. 

Her  situation  quickened  her  sensibilities 
to  the  sacredness  of  the  tie  between  parent 
and  child ;  and  when  the  thought  intruded 
itself,  that  her  sacrilegious  hand  had  broken 
that  holy  bond  ;  that  her  guilty  disobedience 
was  perhaps  bringing  her  father's  gray  hairs 
in  sorrow  to  the  grave,  the  remorse  of  her 
wrung  spirit  was  almost  beyond  her  endur- 
ance. 

I  had  received  several  letters  from  her 
since  her  residence  in  Charlestown,  and  in 
the  last  she  had  written  to  me  she  com- 
plained of  severe  indisposition.  Anxious 
to  hear  tidings  of  her,  one  evening,  when 
the  same  party  that  had  accompanied  her  to 
the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  w^ere  again  assem- 
bled together,  I  sent  to  the  post-office.  A 
letter  was  handed  to  me,  bearing  the  Charles- 
town  post-mark;  on  opening  it,  I  found  it 

14* 


158  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

was  from  Le  Eoy's  mother,  stating,  "  that 
three  days  previous,  Josephine  had  died  in 
her  first  accouchement !" 

Silence  and  dust  on  that  beautiful  brow ! 
How  could  we  realize  an  affliction  so  sudden 
and  overwhelming  ?  "  How  many  hopes  were 
borne  upon  thy  bier,  oh,  bride  of  stricken 
love !" 

The  sad  intelligence  was  abruptly  com- 
municated to  Mr.  Gorden ;  a  second  attack 
of  paralysis  was  the  result ;  and  in  a  few 
weeks  the  broken-hearted  old  man  was  laid 
beside  his  daughter ! 

In  the  Cemetery  at  Baltimore,  as  you  en- 
ter the  south  gate,  a  monument  of  chaste 
and  exquisite  design  arrests  your  attention. 
Keposing  on  a  broad  slab  of  Italian  marble 
is  an  urn,  wreathed  with  a  light  and  grace- 
ful foliage  of  leaves  and  flowers;  the  em- 
blems are  a  torch  reversed  and  a  rose-bud 
broken — symbols  of  Love  and  Death. 

Beneath  this  is  simply  inscribed  the  name 
of  Josephine  1 

Easton,  Pa.,  1841. 


PASSAGE  OF  THE  BLUE  RIDGE.      159 


JPassage  of  the  Blue  Midge  at  the  Dela- 
ware Water  Gap, 

BY    DR.     WILLIAM    B.    DEY. 

Huge  pile  of  Nature's  majesty  !  how  oft 

The  mind,  in  contemplation  wrapt,  has  scann'd 

Thy  form  serene  and  naked  ;  if  to  tell, 

That  when  creation  from  old  chaos  rose, 

Thou  wert  as  now  thou  art;  or  if  some  cause, 

Some  secret  cause,  has  rent  thy  rocky  mantle. 

And  hurl'd  thy  fragments  o'er'the  plain  helow. 

The  pride  of  man  may  form  conceptions  vast, 

Of  all  the  fearful  might  of  giant  power 

That  rent  the  rampart  to  its  very  base, 

Giving  an  exit  to  Lenape's  stream, 

And  wildly  mixing  with  woods  and  waters. 

A  mighty  scene  to  set  enchantment  free, 

Burst  the  firm  barrier  of  eternal  rock, 

If  by  the  howling  of  volcanic  rage, 

Or  foaming  terror  of  Noachian  floods. 

Let  fancy  take  her  strongest  flight ;  she  ne'er 

Can  reach  the  state  of  primoidal  things, 

As  darkness  brooded  o'er  the  deep  abyss  ; 

Where  at  the  fiat  of  Eternal  might, 

E'en  the  vast  fabric  of  our  planet  earth, 

Arose  most  beauteous  from  its  Maker's  hand, 

"With  flower,  plant,  and  noble  oak  o'erspread. 

And  made  the  dwelling-place  of  man  himself, 

In  form  majestic;  but  in  soul  a  god. 

But,  as  for  us,  let  speculations  go, 

And  be  the  food  of  geologic  sons  ; 

Who  from  the  pebble  judge  the  mountain's  form, 

And  oft  the  structure  of  this  dark  terrene. 

Most  all  abstractionists  assign  a  cause; 

If  cause  it  be,  for  all  created  things ; 


160  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

And  in  their  wisdom  dive  into  the  deep, 

Or  search  the  secret  of  the  carbon  mine  ; 

Or  scan  the  structure  of  a  human  skull ; 

To  prove  the  essence  of  the  thought  within  ; 

"Whilst  to  their  minds  thus  wrapt  in  darkness  deep, 

The  sun  of  light  affords  no  ray  of  knowledge. 

Apart  from  these  we'll  carry  on  our  theme, 

The  wild  and  fearful  pass,  whose  grandeur  speaks 

A  language  known  to  every  fearful  eye; 

Breathing  enchantment  through  the  very  bosom. 

Here  was  the  home  of  Nature's  hardy  sons  : 

The  freeborn  dwellers  of  their  native  soil, — 

They  had  no  equal — they  were  Nature's  chief — 

Mighty  ;  magnanimous. — But  where  are  they  ? 

Let  echo  answer,  where?     The  earth  can  tell 

A  long  sad  tale  of  desolate  despair, 

The  broken  mound,  and  moss-clad  stone  at  best, 

Denote  the  spot,  where  Indian  grandeur  sleeps. 

All  else  is  still  ;  a  death-shade  to  the  mind  ; 

The  land  of  woe,  of  dark  forgetfulness. 

The  white  man  came  with  plunder  on  his  wings, 

"With  cursed  love  of  gold — hypocrisy — 

And  e'en  the  Cross,  outstretch'd  before  his  arms, 

To  bring  destruction  on  this  happy  race. 

And  make  a  waste  of  all  their  fatherland. 

The  mountain  bird,  the  emblem  of  the  free, 

"Wild  as  old  ocean  in  his  boundless  range. 

Here  held  his  empire  free  at  will  to  roam  ; 

Praise  be  to  thee,  thou  monarch  of  the  winds, 

However  humble  be  the  strain  I  give  ; 

Yet  still  to  thee,  thou  king  of  native  plumes ! 

I  willing  give  the  off' ring  of  my  heart. 


Lo !  my  eyrie  I  form,  far,  far^  away, 
On  the  mountain's  rocky  crest; 

The  eaglet  securely  reposes  there. 
In  his  wild  and  moss-bound  nest. 


PASSAGE  OF  THE  BLUE  RIDGE.      161 

There,  the  wild  tempest's  rage  disturbs  it  not, 

For,  lo  I  'tis  the  place  of  the  free  ; 
And  the  nightwind's  moan,  as  it  passes  by, 

Is  a  dulcet-tone  to  thee. 

The  lightning's  flash,  and  the  thunder's  sound, 
That  shake  the  stern  mountain  form, 

Securely  leave  the  bleak  eyrie  there, 
Untouched  by  the  wrath  of  the  storm. 

The  warrior  chief,  as  he  hastened  by 

In  pursuit  of  the  flying  deer, 
Found  not  the  home  of  the  monarch  bird. 

On  his  mountain  crag  so  drear. 

A  health  to  thee  of  the  crested  form, 

Thou  pride  of  a  nation's  land  ! 
May  the  foeman  that  aims  a  blow  at  thee, 

Lie  low  as  his  broken  brand  I 

Forever  perch  on  the  mast  of  the  brave, 

Forever  be  'mid  the  fight, 
When  the  sulphury  smoke  on  the  blast  rides  high, 

And  the  warrior  tries  his  might. 

What  are  the  monuments  of  art,  compared 
To  nature's  varied  forms?     Lenape's  pass, 
Where  flows  the  Delaware  in  silent  pride, 
As  if  well  conscious  of  his  mighty  name, 
Will  ever  claim  the  freeman's  honest  praise. 
The  gorgeous  temple  that  proud  prelates  reared, 
Drawn  by  the  genius  of  an  Angelo ; 
The  moss-grown  monuments  of  Palenque ', 
The  mighty  structures  of  the  plain  of  Thebes; 
The  hundred  columns  of  Persepolis; 
The  Hindoo  works  among  the  rocks  of  Goa, 
Or  Trajan's  pillar  on  the  banks  of  Tiber, 
Alike  attest  the  wondrous  art  of  man. 


162  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

But  nature's  self  appears  !     Her  majesty- 
Bewilders  every  thought,  and  loud  proclaims 
The  hand  of  Deity  in  all  her  works. 
.  Through  nature  we  can  look  to  nature's  God, 
If  in  the  zephyr,  or  the  whirlwind  blast; 
The  green  savanna,  or  the  burning  desert; 
The  foam  of  ocean,  or  the  forest  wood ; 
The  purling  stream,  or  wild  Lenape's  form  y 
The  ragged  rocks,  majestic,  bold,  and  grand  ; 
That  rear  their  frowning  battlements  on  high, 
"Where  glides  the  glassy  stream  of  Delaware, 
The  stranger's  heart  with  ecstasy  will  fill, 
Till  Time  himself  shall  slumber  on  his  car, 
And  darkness  reign  amid  the  vast  profound. 


A   LEGEND   OP   THE   DELAWARE   WATER   GAP.      163 


[The  following  legend,  written  many  years  ago  by  the  late 
lamented  A.  E.  Brown,  of  Easton,  has  been  furnished  by  the 
kindness  of  Miss  S.  S.  Moon.] 


A  Legend  of  the  Delaware  Water  Gap, 

BY    A.   E.  BROAYN. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  18 —  that  I  found 
myself,  late  in  the  afternoon,  approaching 
the  far-famed  Delaware  Water  Gap.  I 
strolled  leisurely  along ;  my  horse,  the  com- 
panion of  many  wanderings,  who  was  trained 
to  follow  me  like  a  dog,  walking  in  my 
track,  and  occasionally  putting  down  his 
nose  to  smell  at  some  bright  autumn  leaf 
which  rustled  across  his  path.  My  engage- 
ments were  by  no  means  pressing ;  I  there- 
,fore  devoted  my  time  to  contemplating  the 
magnificence  of  the  scenery  with  which  I 
was  surrounded.  The  blue  haze  of  an  In- 
dian summer  day  clothed  the  rugged  rocks 
with  a  soft  mantle,  and  toned  down  their 
rude  features;  the  huge  forest  trees  pre- 
sented that  rich  variety  of  gold  and  scarlet, 
which  distinguishes  an   American    autumn 


164  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

scene.  The  river  burst  out  of  the  gorge  of 
the  Gap,  its  waters  leaping  and  sparkling, 
in  what  with  equal  truth  (and  poetry)  was 
named  by  the  raftsmen  ''  the  dancing  rift ;" 
above  it  lay  in  the  embraces  of  the  moun- 
tains, like  a  fathomless  lake,  its  dark  waters 
having  no  apparent  current  or  rapid;  the 
mountains  on  either  side  presented  evident 
marks  of  having  been  torn  asunder  by  the 
power  of  the  mighty  waters.  I  have  lived 
and  roved  among  many  wild  scenes  of  na- 
ture, by  land  and  by  sea;  I  have  stood 
steersman  on  the  midnight  deck,  the  vessel 
careering  before  the  gale,  whilst  all  around 
was  enveloped  in  gloom,  but  whilst  the 
glimmering  light  of  the  binnacle  pointed  out 
the  compass  card,  and  the  vessel  obeyed 
her  helm,  I  felt  that  man  had  yet  qualities 
to  wrestle  with  the  elements  when  in  their 
wildest  moods.  I  have  stood  alone  on  the 
prairies  where  on  every  side  the  bright  green 
grass  bounds  the  horizon,  the  wild  antelope 
dashing  across  my  path,  the  herds  of  buffalo 
fleeing  in  terror  at  my  approach.  I  have 
felt  that  man,  deriving  his  title  from  God,  is, 
indeed,  the  master  and  tyrant  of  the  animal 
species.    But  amidst  the  pathless  mountains. 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE   DELAWARE   WATER   GAP.      1G5 

where  animal  life  appears  to  be  extinct, 
whose  rugged  sides  defy  the  feeble  steps  of 
man  to  climb,  whose  mute  power  of  sullen 
resistance  overmasters  his  utmost  strength 
to  overthrow  them,  the  mind  yields  itself  to 
a  dreamy  submission,  and  a  subdued  con- 
templation of  might  too  great  to  be  resisted, 
and  with  which  it  is  useless  to  contend. 
What  wonder,  then,  that  amidst  thoughts 
like  these,  the  hours  passed  away  and  dark- 
ness stole  upon  me  in  the  gorge  of  the  Gap. 
A  large  front  of  rock  running  down  nearly 
to  the  water's  edge,  and  called  "  the  Indian's 
Ladder,"  attracted  my  attention.  At  the 
foot  of  it,  and  nearly  at  the  side  of  the  river, 
was  a  log  hut  of  unusual  size ;  the  roof  had 
partly  Mien  in,  the  doors  and  windows 
were  gone,  and  it  presented  a  weird  and 
desolate  aspect.  There  was  no  appearance 
of  any  inclosure  around  it,  or  that  any  bush 
or  shrub  had  grown  in  its  vicinity.  It 
stood  as  a  place  accursed  in  its  gloomy 
abandonment.  Darkness  had  (as  I  have 
said),  stolen  upon  me.  I  therefore  whistled 
for  my  horse,  and  with  him  following  at  my 
shoulder,  pursued  my  course  along  the  road 
to  seek  some  place  of  shelter.    I  had  reached 

15 


166  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

the  centre  of  the  gorge  of  the  Gap,  when  I 
came  upon  a  small  building  standing  close 
by  the  road,  and  by  the  little  light  that  re- 
mained, I  distinguished  a  sign.  My  knock 
was  answered  by  throwing  open  the  door, 
and  a  blaze  of  light  streamed  out  that  nearly 
blinded  me.  In  the  doorway  stood  one  of  the 
largest  men  that  I  had  ever  seen,  a  perfect 
giant.  In  a  deep  bass  voice  he  inquired  my 
pleasure.  '^  That  is  easily  made  known," 
said  I ;  "  I  should  like  some  oats  and  some 
hay  for  my  horse,  and  supper  and  bed  for 
myself."  "  That  you  can  have  ;  some  clean 
oats  and  some  sweet  meadow  hay  for  your 
horse,  as  I  notice  you  named  him  first,  and 
some  corn  bread,  venison  steak,  and  a  cup 
of  coffee  for  yourself;  these,  with  a  clean 
bed  and  a  tight  roof  over  your  head,  must 
content  you;  we  can  promise  no  luxu- 
ries ;  if  these  are  sufficient,  you  are  wel- 
come." Unstrapping  my  Minie  rifle  from 
my  stirrup,  I  told  the  landlord  to  get  his 
lantern,  and  we  would  go  and  see  what  ac- 
commodations my  horse  was  likely  to  get. 
"  Well,"  said  mine  host,  with  a  hearty 
laugh  which  shook  the  hills,  "  I  should  like 
to  be  your  horse ;  you  do  not  even  ride  him ; 


A   LEGEND    OF    THE    DELAWAKE   WATER   GAP.       167 

he  follows  you  like  a  companion,  and  when 
food  and  lodgings  are  to  be  seen  to,  he  is 
first  provided  for.  No  doubt  he  is  a  good 
one  ;  but,  stranger,  that  is  a  pretty  little 
bird  gun  you  took  off  the  saddle."  "  My 
horse,"  said  I,  entering  in  the  humor  of  the 
host,  "  deserves  all  the  good  treatment  that 
I  or  any  one  else  can  give  him ;  he  has 
carried  me  fast  and  carried  me  far  when 
speed  was  an  object,  and  did  not  grudge  the 
labor ;  as  for  my  pretty  little  bird  gun  you 
notice,  it  is  good  for  a  man's  life  at  fifteen 
hundred  yards ;  a  pretty  spry  little  bird 
gun."  This  brought  on  familiar  conversa- 
tion between  us.  There  was  a  good-hu- 
mored frankness,  mingled  with  an  honest 
roughness,  in  the  man  that  won  my  confi- 
dence, and  we  returned  to  the  house  with  a 
friendly  familiarity  fairly  established  be- 
tween us.  The  landlord's  supper  was  at 
least  as  good  as  he  promised, — the  venison 
steak  cooked  to  a  turn,  the  corn  bread 
flanked  by  a  pot  of  mountain  honey  and  a 
steaming  cup  of  coffee,  made  up  a  repast 
which  the  frequenters  of  "  Delmonico's" 
might  long  for  in  vain.  When  we  returned 
to  the  bar-room,  we  found  the  fire  blazing 


168  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

clieerfullv  in  the  huge  fireplace,  fenced  in 
by  a  high-backed  wooden  settle,  giving  an 
indescribable  air  of  snugness.  A  couple  of 
travellers  who  had  been  there  when  I  arrived, 
had  retired  to  their  rest,  and  left  the  bar- 
room free  for  the  landlord  and  myself,  as  I 
supposed.  ^'  Upon  my  word,  landlord,"  said 
I,  "  I  would  not  change  my  accomodations 
this  night  with  any  guest  at  the  City  Hotel 
or  the  Astor  House."  ''  Glad  you  are 
pleased,"  he  said,  "  for  I  am  sure  that  I  am 
as  glad  to  have  you  as  you  are  to  be  here. 
The  stylish  people  generally  stop  up  above, 
but  the  man  who  carries  a  good  rifle,  and 
knows  how  to  use  it,  and  rides  a  good  horse, . 
and  sees  him  taken  care  of  himself,  shall  be 
welcome  to  the  best  my  house  affords,  be  it 
ever  so  humble."  Turning  to  a  large  bear- 
skin stretched  in  a  corner  of  the  bar-room, 
he  cried  :  "  Here,  Jess,  is  a  gentleman  who 
can  tell  you  more  than  you  ever  knew  about 
a  rifle."  I  now  observed  that  the  bear-skin 
was  occupied  by  a  human  figure.  The  per- 
son addressed  started  to  his  feet  with  great 
alacrity.  He  was  finely  formed,  one  of 
those  figures  that  combine  strength  and 
activity  in  an  extraordinary  degree.     His 


A   LEGEND   OF   THE   DELAWARE   WATER   GAP.      169 

features  were  remarkably  handsome,  though 
swarthy ;  his  manner  was  somewhat  shy 
and  bashful ;  his  eyes  almost  constantly 
fixed  upon  the  ground,  but  when  he  raised 
them  to  your  face,  they  had  a  dove-like 
softness  that  would  have  made  the  fortune 
of  a  belle.  There  was  a  soft,  yet  free  and 
bold  expression  there,  which  dispelled  every 
idea  of  there  being  anything  sinister  in  his 
character.  Producing  my  cigars,  I  asked 
"  Jess  "  to  join  our  circle,  and  we  prepared  to 
spend  a  social  evening.  Jess  had  heard  of 
the  Minie,  and  my  report  of  what  I  had  seen 
it  perform  filled  him  with  astonishment. 

We  spoke  about  the  scenery  surrounding 
us,  and  I  told  them  that  though  I  had  trav- 
elled a  great  deal  among  mountain  scenery, 
that  none  of  it  had  ever  so  deeply  impressed 
me  as  the  Delaware  Water  Gap. 

"By  the  by,  landlord,  as  I  came  along, 
this  afternoon,  I  noticed  at  the  foot  of  the 
rock,  called  the  Indian  Ladder,  the  ruins  of 
a  large  cabin,  a  most  desolate  and  God-for- 
saken place  as  I  have  ever  seen.  It  looks 
as  if  it  was  cursed  by  God  and  man  ;  do  tell 
me,  did  man  or  devil  ever  inhabit  it  ?  how 
came  he  there  ?  how  got  he.  hence  ?" 

15* 


170  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

"  Stranger,  you  have,  indeed,  alluded  to 
a  terrible  circumstance,  a  part  of  which  is 
shrouded  in  mystery.  Some  years  back 
your  question  would  have  excited  suspicion 
in  any  one,  in  the  neighborhood,  to  whom  it 
was  addressed.  But  you  are  too  young  to 
have  been  in  any  way  connected  with  any 
of  those  transactions,  and  we  give  no  half 
confidence ;  so  if  you  wish,  you  shall  have 
the  story." 

I  was,  of  course,  anxious  to  hear  it,  and 
the  landlord  thus  began  : 

"About  twenty  years  back,  a  stranger 
appeared  at  the  village  hotel,  kept  by  one 
Lukens.  He  was  one  of  the  four  strongest 
men  that  went  the  river;  his  feats  of  strength 
and  courage  are  known,  and  repeated  from 
one  end  of  the  river  to  the  other.  The 
stranger  was  nearly  as  large  as  Lukens. 
Although  his  hair  was  somewhat  grizzled 
by  age  or  exposure,  he  was  vastly  powerful, 
and  as  springy  as  a  wild  cat ;  he  got,  occa- 
sionally, letters  from  the  post-office,  ad- 
dressed to  James  McQuade ;  he  employed 
himself,  principally,  rowing  about  the  river 
in  the  Gap ;  he  made  no  communications  to 
any  one  about  his  business.     One  morning. 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE   DELAWARE   WATER   GAP.      171 

a  small  party  of  workmen  appeared  at  the 
foot  of  the  Indian  Ladder ;  none  knew  where 
they  came  from ;  they  were  provided  with 
all  the  necessary  tools,  and  in  a  very  short 
space  of  time  completed  the  cabin  that  you 
saw.  Some  of  the  neighbors  who  called  to 
inquire  what  was  going  on,  were  roughly 
told  it  did  not  concern  them,  and  as  the 
population  of  the  Jersey  side  was  not  very 
thick,  and  the  cabin  was  out  of  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  Pennsylvania,  they  were  allowed  to 
proceed  unmolested.  Beside,  McQuade  was 
a  man  with  whom  no  one  wished  to  meddle. 
The  cabin  being  completed,  McQuade  moved 
over  there.  The  workmen  disappeared  as 
mysteriously  as  they  came.  McQuade  came 
over  occasionally  to  our  side,  and  joined  in 
the  sports  of  the  hunters  and  settlers,  whom 
he  greatly  excelled  in  feats  of  strength  and 
activity,  and  in  shooting  with  the  rifle.  No 
one  knew  to  a  certainty  what  he  was  en- 
gaged in ;  they  might  have  had  their  suspi- 
cions, but  there  it  rested.  Jess  appeared  to 
have  taken  up  a  particular  antipathy  to 
him,  and,  on  one  occasion,  they  had  nearly 
come  to  blows ;  but  Lukens,  who  was  pres- 
ent,  commanded   peace,  and  few  liked    to 


172  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

disobey  his  commands,  when  given  in  earn- 
est. The  cabin  was  frequently  the  scene  of 
revels  and  riots ;  across  the  water  we  heard 
drunken  oaths  and  laughter;  its  windows 
were  ablaze  with  lights.  At  length,  a  young 
and  beautiful  female  was  seen  at  the  cabin, 
and  appeared  to  have  become  one  of  its  in- 
mates. During  McQuade's  absence  from  the 
cabin,  which  was  very  frequent  and  of  long 
continuance,  she  would  get  the  canoe  and 
paddle  herself  over  to  the  Pennsylvania 
side,  to  spend  the  afternoon  with  the  hunt- 
ers' wives.  She  was  gentle  and  kind,  and 
had  that  winning  way  about  her  that  made 
friends  of  all  she  met.  Upon  Jess  her  hold 
was  particularly  strong;  they  would  often 
steal  away  from  all  the  company  and  be 
seen  seated  on  a  rock,  engaged  in  earnest 
conversation.  His  every  wish  was  hers ;  if 
ever  a  man  loved  a  woman,  he  loved  that 
unfortunate  w^ith  all  the  power  of  his  youth- 
ful heart.  When  McQuade  returned  to  the 
cabin  the  meeting  of  the  lovers  was  for  a 
time  stopped.  At  length,  a  young  stranger 
came  here,  no  one  knew  from  whence  or 
why ;  he  stopped  here  with  me,  and  spent 
all  his  time  paddling  up  and  down  the  river, 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.      173 

often  in  front  of  the  cabin.  One  day,  how- 
ever, McQuade  encountered  him  and  beat 
him  most  cruelly ;  he  stayed  here  only  long 
enough  to  recover  his  looks  so  as  to  travel 
with  decency,  and  to  take  a  trip  or  two  along 
the  river,  and  then  disappeared  forever. 
About  a  week  after  his  departure,  the  revel- 
ry at  the  cabin  was  one  night  renewed,  but 
it  was  with  circumstances  of  greater  in- 
tensity; the  mirth  was  louder,  the  oaths 
deeper  than  usual ;  it  seemed  as  if  some  in- 
fernal rite  was  about  to  be  celebrated.  Sud- 
denly, a  piercing  female  shriek  was  heard 
echoing  over  the  water,  followed  by  others 
of  more  intense  agony,  until  they  sunk  into 
inaudible  moans.  It  was  plain  from  the 
moving  of  the  lights  that  something  un- 
usual was  going  on  at  the  cabin.  About 
two  hours  later,  Dolph  Drexsell,  a  lonely 
kind  of  vagrant,  who  often  spent  his  nights 
fishing  for  eels  and  catfish,  3vas  following 
his  pursuits  in  the  deep  water  opposite  the 
cabin.  The  door  of  the  cabin  was  opened, 
and  McQuade,  and  an  Indian  that  he  kept 
as  a  kind  of  servant,  appeared  bearing  what 
looked  like  a  body.  The  corner  of  the  cloak, 
in  which  it  was  covered,  falling  aside,  dis- 


174  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

played  by  the  lights  which  were  still  burn- 
ing in  the  cabin,  the  face  of  the  beautiful 
stranger.  They  bore  it  to  a  canoe  and  pad- 
dled to  the  very  deepest  water  of  the  Gap, 
where  by  means  of  heavy  stones  they  sunk 
it.  Dolph,  who  had  been  hidden  under  the 
shade  of  the  bank,  immediately  came  to 
shore  and  alarmed  the  neighborhood.  As 
he  had  never  been  known  to  lie,  his  story 
was  believed ;  the  settlement  was  aroused, 
and  preparations  were  made  to  make  a  de- 
scent upon  the  cabin.  Lukens  was  called 
on,  and  although  he  never  liked  to  meddle 
in  other  people's  business,  he  was  too  much 
of  a  man  to  refuse  the  call  of  his  neighbors, 
when  asked  to  aid  in  bringing  a  murderer 
to  justice.  Jess,  you  may  be  sure,  was 
among  the  first.  He  did  not  say  much,  but 
earnestness  was  marked  on  every  feature 
and  motion,  and  I  concluded  that  between 
him  and  Lukens  the  climate  would  be  very 
bad  for  McQuade.  When  we  reached  the 
cabin  it  was  deserted  by  its  inhabitants. 
The  marks  of  last  night's  revel  were  every- 
where apparent;  drinking  vessels  overturned 
and  broken,  and  large  quantities  of  liquor 
spilt  uj)on  the  floor,  and  two  or  three  pools 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  DELAWARE  WATER  GAP.   175 

of  blood  imperfectly  cleaned  up,  gave  evi- 
dence that  foul  and  bloody  murder  had 
crowned  this  vile  debauch. 

"Lukens,  stooping  down  in  a  dark  corner, 
drew  from  thence  a  large  handful  of  hair, 
literally  torn  out  by  the  roots  and  dabbled 
with  blood,  of  the  same  bright  hue  as  that 
of  the  stranger.  Lukens  looked  at  it  for  a 
moment,  when  Jess  stepped  forward,  with- 
out a  word,  and  extended  his  hand  for  it ; 
Lukens  placed  the  lock  in  his  hand,  and 
Jess  put  it  in  his  bosom.  The  men  regarded 
each  other  for  a  moment,  and  then,  as  if 
mutually  comprehending  all  that  was  un- 
spoken, Jess  threw  himself  on  Lukens's 
shoulders,  and  they  both  sobbed  as  if  their 
hearts  would  break.  Stranger,  I  am  not  a 
very  soft-hearted  man,  and  yet  to  see  those 
two  bold  and  daring  men  weeping  over  the 
mute  evidences  of  the  murder  of  a  defence- 
less stranger,  moved  me  more  than  I  was 
ever  moved  before.  Jess  had  stood  many  a 
time  before  a  wounded  bear  without  flinch- 
ing, and  Lukens  could  face  the  wildest  and 
most  excited  crowd  without  fear;  but  here, 
as  they  supposed,  at  an  unprovoked  outrage, 
their  hearts  were  excited  beyond  control. 


176  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

A  few  bows  and  pieces  of  ribbon  were  scat- 
tered about,  all  bearing  marks  of  violence. 
An  inner  room  was  locked  up ;  upon  burst- 
ing it  open,  we  came  upon  a  powerful  press, 
and  had  evidently  broken  in  upon  the  den 
of  a  band  of  coiners.  Here  the  mystery  was 
explained.  The  dies  and  engraving  tools, 
and  all  lighter  materials,  had  been  carried 
off  by  the  gang  in  their  flight.  The  press 
being  too  heavy  to  move,  was  abandoned  to 
its  fate.  We  had  got  thus  far  in  our  exami- 
nation, when  we  were  joined  by  Dolph,  who 
told  us  that  McQuade's  canoe  had  been  dis- 
covered on  the  Pennsylvania  side.  We  went 
at  once  across  the  river,  and  scattered  our- 
selves along  the  side  of  the  mountain ;  the 
ground  was  carefully  searched,  but  no  trace 
of  McQuade  was  ever  found,  no  account  of 
him  ever  given.  But  one  thing  we  never 
could  exj^lain.  About  the  middle  of  the 
morning,  when  we  could  hear  the  parties 
calling  each  other,  two  rifle-shots,  following 
each  other  in  quick  succession,  were  heard ; 
no  one  would  claim  either  one  of  them  :  if 
this  could  be  got  at,  it  would  probably  lead 
to  some  trace  of  McQuade.  All  inquiries 
have  been  in  vain.     We  think  Jess  there 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.      177 

could  explain  it  if  he  would ;  but  he  has  not 
done  so ;  so  we  must  wait  with  patience." 

I  thanked  the  landlord  heartily  for  the 
interesting  story  he  had  related,  told  with 
so  much  feeling  and  in  an  elevated  style  of 
language,  which  I  had  not  expected.  I  was 
by  no  means  backward  in  expressing  my 
approbation  of  the  spirit  manifested  in  the 
settlement;  and  my  hope  was,  that  one  of 
those  mysterious  shots  spoken  of  had  ter- 
minated the  career  of  the  vile  coiner  and 
murderer.  I  told,  likewise,  of  the  vast 
gangs  of  counterfeiters  and  horse-thieves  in 
the  West;  of  their  secret  oaths  of  union, 
and  their  bloody  vengeance  exacted  from 
those  suspected  of  betraying  them ;  of  their 
oaths  of  fraternity  and  brotherhood,  as  they 
called  them,  to  which  every  tie  of  affection 
and  bond  of  blood  must  give  way.  I  spoke, 
also,  of  the  celebrated  Murrell  gang  of  horse 
and  negro  thieves,  whose  track,  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  I  had  crossed,  and  of 
their  sinking  their  victims  in  the  swamps, 
after  first  having  ripped  their  bodies  to  pre- 
vent their  rising;  of  the  Regulators,  and  the 
bloody  retributions  I  had  seen  enacted  in 
California.     To  all  this  Jess  listened  with  a 

IG 


178  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

most  absorbing  interest.  Our  conversation 
lasted  till  a  late  hour.  When  I  was  about 
retiring,  Jess  asked  me  at  what  hour  I  in- 
tended to  leave  my  lodging-place.  "  Well," 
said  I,  "if  our  landlord  can  repeat  this  even- 
ing's meal  to-morrow  morning,  I  shall  not 
leave  till  after  breakfast."  The  landlord  said 
he  would  try,  and  we  retired  for  the  night. 

The  first  beams  of  the  morning  sun  aroused 
me  from  a  sweet  and  refreshing  slumber. 
Dressing  myself,  I  went  down  on  the  back 
porch  of  the  little  inn,  overlooking  the  river. 
Here  I  found  my  host.  He  remarked  to  me, 
"I  think  you  must  have  bewitched  Jess.  I 
never  saw  him  taken  so  with  a  stranger  be- 
fore. We  have  always  thought  he  had  some- 
thing on  his  mind,  and  I  would  not  wonder 
if  you  were  the  man  to  hear  it.  I  never  saw 
him  listen  to  anybody  as  he  did  to  you 
last  night."  Looking  across  the  stream,  1 
saw  a  large  hawk  seated  on  a  dead  tree.  I 
pointed  it  out  to  the  landlord.  "  Ah ! "  said 
he,  "  he  is  watching  for  my  chickens ;  they 
^re  the  plague  of  my  life."  "  Why,"  said  I, 
"  you  are  all  riflemen  about  here,  why  don't 
you  shoot  them  ?"  "  Why,"  said  he,  "  that 
fellow  is  beyond  rifle  range,  and  we  never  get 


A    LEGEND    OF   THE   DELAWARE   WATER   GAP.      179 

near  to  them  when  sitting,"  "  Well,"  said 
I,  "  it  is  rather  a  short  range  for  a  Minie ; 
but  I'll  try  my  pretty  little  bird-gun  at  him." 
Bringing  out  my  Minie,  and  adjusting  the 
telescope,  I  took  aim  and  fired,  and  the 
bird  fell  from  his  perch  with  the  Minie  ball 
through  his  body.  "  Well,"  said  the  land- 
lord, "  I  find  that  we  among  the  hills  don't 
know  anything."  "  0,"  said  I,  "  that  shot 
I  take  to  be  only  about  one-third  of  the 
range  of  the  gun."  "  Well,  I  shall  ever 
thank  you  for  clearing  out  that  nuisance; 
good  luck  to  you,  wherever  you  may  go." 

After  breakfast,  taking  my  rifle  in  my 
hand,  and  whistling  to  my  horse,  I  proceeded 
up  the  road.  I  had  not  gone  more  than  half  a 
mile,  when  Jess  appeared  in  the  way  before 
me.  He  saluted  me  frankly,  and  spoke  of  our 
last  evening's  conversation,  and  the  light  it 
had  given  him  on  various  subjects.  We 
conversed  for  a  short  time  in  the  road,  when 
he  said  :  "  Stranger,  if  it  will  not  be  asking 
too  much,  I  should  like  you  to  step  a  little 
way  into  the  woods  with  me."  "  If  it  is  not 
too  steep  and  rough  for  my  horse  to  follow," 
said  I,  ^'for  I  cannot  leave  him  standing 
alone  in  the  road."    "  Your  horse  can  easily 


180  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

follow,  and  it  is  not  far."  So  Jess  led  the 
way,  and  I  followed.  We  had  not  gone  more 
than  fifty  yards  from  the  road  when  he  threw 
himself  on  what  looked  like  a  small  mound, 
and  addressed  me  : 

"  Stranger,  I  have  for  many  years  had 
something  on  my  mind,  and  have  longed  for 
some  one  to  whom  I  could  communicate  it. 
I  have  never  yet  met  a  man  whose  views 
and  experiences  seemed  to  come  so  exactly 
to  the  point  I  wish  as  yours.  I  feel  that  I 
can  safely  tell  it  to  you,  and  have  no  bad 
use  made  of  it.  Jake  was  right  about  hear- 
ing two  shots  the  morning  McQuade  dis- 
appeared. I  could  have  explained  them. 
Stranger,  you  are  now  standing  on  the 
grave  of  McQuade,  the  coiner  and  murderer. 
I  wished  to  bring  you  to  this  very  spot  that 
I  might  tell  you  my  part  of  the  story. 

"When  we  got  over  the  river,  the  neigh- 
bors separated  into  small  parties  to  follow  the 
pursuit.  I  was  the  only  one  who  did  not 
seek  for  a  companion.  My  wish  was  to  en- 
counter the  villain  alone.  My  feelings  were 
so  much  excited  that  I  was  willing  to  risk 
my  own  life  if  I  could  revenge  the  death  of 
her  who  had  been  so  foully  and  cruelly  mur- 


A    LEGEND   OF   THE    DELAWARE    WATER    GAP.      181 

dered.  The  others  hunted  further  down  the 
river.  I  chose  this  direction  as  the  most 
likely  place  to  meet  the  object  of  our  pur- 
suit. I  had  searched  every  place  that  I 
could  think  of;  the  shouts  of  the  pursuing 
party  were  ringing  in  the  far  distance  on 
the  clear  air,  giving  proof  the  hunt  was  up 
and  in  full  cry.  I  was  moving  leisurely 
along  when,  just  by  that  big  rock,  suddenly 
turning  the  corner,  McQuade  appeared  be- 
fore me.  His  face  wore  an  expression  of 
desperation;  a  hunted  outlaw  pursued  by 
his  entire  neighborhood.  Never  shall  I 
forget  the  expression  of  his  countenance 
when  he  recognized  me,  the  last  man  he 
would  have  desired  to  meet.  Jake  was 
right  enough  when  he  told  you  that  we  did 
not  like  each  other ;  the  neighbors  had  all 
along  had  trouble  to  keep  us  apart  w^hen- 
ever  we  met,  and  now  our  animosity  was 
ten  times  greater  than  ever.  He  had  a 
grubbing-hoe  on  his  shoulder,  together  with 
his  rifle;  to  this  I  attribute  my  safety.  The 
time  occupied  in  disengaging  his  gun  and 
dropping  his  hoe  was  enough  for  me.  I 
sighted  for  his  heart  and  fired.  The  ball 
went  straight  to  its  mark ;  he  partly  jerked 

16^ 


182  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

his  rifle  to  his  face,  when  his  strength  gave 
way  and  he  fell,  the  rifle  going  ofi*  with  the 
shock  of  the  fall.  This  made  the  second 
shot  that  they  heard.  Stranger,  I  felt  that 
I  had  done  a  good  act ;  an  act  from  which 
I  could  not  have  restrained  myself  if  I  had 
tried.  It  was  with  strange  feelings  that  I 
surveyed  the  body.  The  huge  limbs  thrown 
easily  back  as  if  in  repose ;  the  long  grizzled 
hair  laying  smoothly,  and  the  features,  late- 
ly so  expressive  of  the  wildest  and  fiercest 
passions,  now  softened  and  subdued  into  a 
womanly  mildness  and  beauty.  It  required 
me  to  recall  his  many  crimes,  and  the 
shrieks  that  echoed  on  the  midnight  air,, 
from  the  lips  of  one  too  tenderly  loved  to 
keep  me  from  sorrowing  over  him.  Ke- 
member,  stranger,  I  had  never  seen  blood 
shed  before,  and  here  I  was  alone  in  the 
woods  with  the  body  of  a  man  slain  by  my 
own  hand.  I  searched  the  body  to  see  if  I 
could  find  any  evidences  of  where  he  came 
from,  with  whom  he  was  connected,  or  traces 
of  his  gang.  There  were  none.  In  his  bo- 
som he  had  a  bowie-knife,  which  had  been 
carelessly  cleaned  of  blood.  On  his  hands 
were  some  rings  of  value ;  in  his  purse  some 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE    DELAWARE   WATER    GAP.      183 

guineas,  and  in  his  pocket  this  letter.     The 
letter  was  as  follows  : 


" '  To  Miss  Ella  Strang. 

"  '  Dear  Ella  :  At  the  risk  of  my  life,  I 
take  this  opportunity  to  write  these  words 
of  encouragement  to  you.  Persevere  in  our 
plan  for  securing  the  wretch  who  has  so 
long  preyed  upon  the  community  and  defied 
the  laws.  Everything  is  going  on  well  and 
promises  a  happy  termination ;  but  we  can- 
not be  safe  without  your  evidence.  I  will, 
probably,  be  ready  in  three  weeks  to  pounce 
upon  him.  Tiie  reward  will  be  very  large. 
You  can  then  return  to  your  friends  quite  a 
wealthy  heroine.  In  the  meantime,  if  you 
should  happen  to  escape,  go  to  the  office  of 
the  United  States  Attorney  at  Trenton,  and 
tell  him  all  you  know.  I  inclose  you  four 
guineas  to  aid  your  flight. 

"  '  Your  affectionate  brother, 

"'James  Strang. 

" '  P.  S. — Burn  this  letter  as  soon  as  read; 
it  may  occasion  the  death  of  both  of  us  if  it 
gets  into  wrong  hands.' 


184  DELAWARE    WATER   GAP. 

'^  On  the  outside  of  tliis  letter  was  traced 
in  blood  the  shape  of  a  dagger  and  a  hang- 
man's noose ;  under  it,  also  written  in  blood, 
in  a  strong  and  bold  hand,  ^  Safe,  silence ;' 
below,  also  traced  in  blood,  the  shape  of  a 
coffin,  and  below  it  was  written,  '  From  this, 
no  prisoner  escapes.'  This,  together  with 
what  you  told  us  last  night  about  the  West- 
ern gangs  of  thieves  and  counterfeiters,  is 
the  explanation  of  this  murder.  I  had  found 
an  old  spade  some  time  before,  and  had  taken 
it  to  my  cabin ;  with  that,  and  the  grubbing- 
hoe,  I  dug  out  the  grave  on  which  you  are 
now  standing.  I  buried  his  rings,  his  rifle, 
his  money,  and  all  his  things  along  with 
him.  I  should  have  felt  disgraced  if  I  had 
kept  any  of  them.  I  covered  the  fresh 
earth  with  leaves  and  brush,  therefore  it 
has  remained  undiscovered  until  this  time. 
The  letter  I  have  preserved,  but  it  has  led 
to  no  further  discovery.  When  we  got  to- 
gether, many  inquiries  were  made  about  the 
two  shots.  I  kept  my  own  secret,  and  have 
continued  to  do  so.  The  times  were  wild, 
and  McQuade's  gang  was,  as  I  supposed,  nu- 
merous, and  no  one  could  tell  what  con- 
sequences the  disclosure  of  the  hand  I  had 


A   LEGEND    OF   THE   DELAWARE   WATER   GAP.     185 

taken  in  his  death  might  have  produced. 
One  thing  is  certain,  I  have  never  repented 
it.  My  cabin  is  not  far  off,  and  I  often  come 
at  night  and  sit  upon  this  mound  and  recall 
the  many  circumstances  occurring  on  those 
days,  but  no  feeling  of  remorse  has  ever  in- 
truded on  my  mind." 

I  told  Jess  that,  as  far  as  I  was  concerned, 
he  had  my  entire  approbation  that  he  had 
acted  like  a  brave  and  prudent  man.  We 
parted  with  more  expression  of  friendship 
and  goodwill  than  usually  arises  from  so 
short  an  acquaintance. 

Among  the  gay  visitors  who  annually  re- 
sort to  the  Water  Gap,  there  are  probably 
but  few  who  realize  how  awful  a  tragedy 
was  enacted  there,  amongst  its  rocks  and 
rugged  scenery. 

Note. — A  few  years  since,  the  workmen 
of  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna,  and  Western 
Railroad,  while  excavating  the  track  of  that 
road  through  the  Gap,  dug  up  a  large  quan- 
tity of  counterfeit  coin,  inclosed  in  a  coarse 
bag,  then  almost  entirely  decayed,  which 
had  been  secreted  by  McQuade.  It  was  no 
doubt  that,  with  the  intention  of  recovering 


186  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

this,  that  McQuade  ventured  over  to  the 
Pennsylvania  side,  where  he  lost  his  life.  I 
have  one  of  the  pieces  lying  before  me 
while  I  write ;  it  is  a  bad  imitation  of  a 
guinea,  and  would  deceive  no  one  at  the 
present  time. 


HISTORICAL. 


JEarly  Settlements  at  the  Delaware 
Water  Gap.' 

Long  after  the  settlements  made  north  of 
the  mountain,  the  Water  Gap  remained  a 
solitary  wilderness,  and  the  wild  beasts, 
common  to  the  primitive  forest,  resorted 
hither  as  a  place  of  security  after  their  other 
haunts  had  been  invaded  by  the  early  pio- 
neers.* The  Gap  offered  no  inducement  to 
the  tillers  of  the  soil,  and  the  dark  gloomy 
gorge,   then  overshadowed  with  the  forest 


*  An  old  and  respectable  citizen  of  the  neighborhood  re- 
members, when  a  boy,  to  have  seen  a  herd  of  deer,  five  in 
number,  feeding  in  what  is  now  the  lawn  in  front  of  the 
Kittatinny  House. 

(  187  ) 


188  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

oaks  and  pines  of  the  growth  of  centuries, 
was  too  forbidding  in  its  aspect  for  the 
abode  of  any  but  those  who  wished  to  avoid 
contact  w^ith  civilized  men.  The  story  is 
told  of  a  solitary  individual  inhabiting  a 
hut  in  summer,  near  the  Indian  Ladder,  in 
which  he  coined  money  from  metals  pro- 
cured in  some  cavern  in  the  mountain,  and 
in  winter  lived  in  a  palatial  residence  with 
his  family  in  a  remote  city. 

An  Indian  trail  wound  along  the  base  of 
the  mountain  through  the  gorge  on  either 
side  of  the  river,  and  an  occasional  eques- 
trian managed  to  lead  his  horse  over  the 
Indian  path. 

In  the  year  1730,  the  government  of  the 
province  of  Pennsylvania  sent  up  agents  to 
the  Minisink,  to  dispossess  certain  persons 
of  lands  held  by  purchase  of  the  Indians. 
This  party,  it  is  said,  managed  with  great 
difficulty  to  lead  their  horses  through  the 
Gap.  At  a  later  period,  in  1743,  as  has 
been  stated  elsewhere,  the  Rev.  John  Brain- 
erd,  in  a  missionary  tour  amongst  the  In- 
dians in  the  Minisink,  did  not,  it  appears, 
consider  the  passage  practicable. 

It  was  not  until  the  year  1800  that  the 


EARLY   SETTLEMENTS.  189 

construction  of  a  wagon-road  was  under- 
taken, and  then  by  individual  subscriptions 
on  the  part  of  those  residing  above  and  below 
the  mountain. 

About  this  time,  a  small  log  house  was 
erected  by  some  daring  adventurer,  within 
a  few  feet  of  where  the  Kittatinny  House 
now  stands.  For  a  time, — about  the  year 
1808,  and  for  some  years  after, — there  lived 
in  this  house  of  two  rooms  and  an  attic,  a 
tall,  white-haired,  dignified-looking  man, 
with  wife  and  daughter  of  corresponding 
gentility.  The  interior  of  the  rude  dwell- 
ing had  an  air  of  refinement,  and  its  inmates 
bore  evidence  of  having  seen  more  pros- 
perous days.  The  costly  furniture,  gilded 
mirrors,  and  a  well-stocked  library,  con- 
trasted strangely  with  the  simple  abode  and 
its  wild  surroundings;  and  marvellous,  in- 
deed, were  the  tales  passing  current  for  a 
time  with  the  rustic  youth  of  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  wonderful  wealth  and  mys- 
terious doings  of  its  isolated  inhabitants. 
The  master  occupant  of  this  establishment 
was  none  other  than  the  notorious  Alex- 
ander Patterson. 

In  the  year  1793,  there  came  to  the  Water 
17 


190  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

Gap  from  St.  Domingo  a  Frenchman  named 
Anthony  Dutot,  having  left  there  hastily 
with  others  at  the  time  when  the  order  of 
possession  on  that  island  was  reversed,  when 
the  servants  became  the  masters  of  the  soil, 
and  the  masters  became  fugitives.  He  was 
said  to  be  wealthy,  and  buried  on  his  plan- 
tation a  considerable  amount  of  gold  and 
silver,  and  brought  with  him  what  coin  he 
could  conveniently  transport.  Mr.  Dutot 
was  a  man  of  some  degree  of  culture  and 
refinement,  and  after  spending  a  short  time 
in  Philadelphia  he  proceeded  up  the  Dela- 
ware in  search  of  a  future  home.  He  was 
impressed  with  the  grandeur  of  the  scenery 
at  the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  and  eagerly 
made  purchase  of  a  large  tract  of  land,  pre- 
viously considered  as  worthless,  including 
the  portion  on  which  the  Kittatinny  House 
is  situated,  and  the  hills  on  the  north  side 
of  the  mountain  where  the  village  is  located. 
At  the  latter  place  he  laid  out  a  city  and 
called  it  after  his  own  name,  and,  like  the 
founder  of  the  Roman  Commonwealth,  chose 
for  its  location  the  hills  overlooking  the 
plain.  In  the  centre  of  the  plot,  around 
which  he  built  a  dozen  or  more  small  dwell- 


EARLY  SETTLEMENTS.  191 

ings,  he  left  a  large  triangular  lot  for  a  mar- 
ket-place. The  "city"  has  never  grown, 
however,  to  the  proportions  of  more  than  a 
hamlet.  The  name  has  been  changed  to 
Delaware  Water  Gap,  and  the  buildings  erect- 
ed by  Mr.  Dutot  have  long  since  disappeared, 
and  others  more  substantial  have  taken  their 
place ;  but  the  market-grounds  still  remain 
uninvaded. 

The  first  w^agon-road  through  the  Gap 
passed  round  the  east  end  of  the  inclosure 
in  front  of  the  Kittatinny  House,  and  over 
Sunset  Hill,  intersecting  the  present  road 
near  the  Church  of  the  Mountain.  Soon 
after  the  building  of  this  road,  Mr.  Dutot 
obtained  a  charter  for  a  toll-road,  extending 
from  the  foot  of  the  hill  along  the  bank  of 
the  river,  where  the  railroad  now  passes,  to 
the  village.  He  lived  at  this  time  in  a  house 
which  stood  near  the  old  saw-mill,  and  there 
the  "gate"  was  located.  The  toll-road  was 
never  profitable,  and  caused  him  much  an- 
noyance. Various  devices  were  resorted  to, 
on  the  part  of  travellers,  to  avoid  payment, 
sometimes  by  driving  rapidly  through  the 
gateway,  and  at  others  by  pretending  not  to 
understand  his  meaning.     Mr.  Dutot  never 


192  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

learned  to  speak  the  English  language  cor- 
rectly, and  his  courteous  demand  for  '^  von 
leetle  toll,''  accompanied  with  a  polite  bow, 
was  pretended  to  be  understood  for  the  usual 
salutation  at  parting,  and  a  polite  "good 
day,  sir,"  with  an  equally  profound  bow  on 
the  part  of  the  delinquent  traveller,  was 
usually  the  only  compensation  received,  un- 
til he  was  obliged,  at  length,  to  resort  to 
harsher  measures.  The  toll-road  was  super- 
seded in  1823  by  the  construction  of  the 
present  state  road,  along  the  southeastern 
slope  of  Sunset  Hill. 

Mr.  Dutot  built  the  saw-mill  upon  the 
foundation  now  to  be  seen  at  the  boat-land- 
ing, and  it  was  continued  in  use  till  burned 
by  sparks  from  a  locomotive  soon  after  the 
opening  of  the  railroad. 

In  the  year  1829,  he  commenced  the  erec- 
tion of  a  small  portion  of  what  is  now  the 
Kittatinny  House,  but,  unfortunately,  failed 
in  business  before  its  completion. 

He  had  made  an  injudicious  use  of  his 
funds,  and  among  other  non-paying  enter- 
prises, spent  large  sums  of  money  in  making 
excavations  in  the  mountain  in  search  of 
minerals.     He  had  also  a  number  of  expen- 


EAKLY   SETTLEMENTS.  193 

sive    lawsuits   with   his    neighbor,    Ulrick 
Hauser. 

Mr.  Hauser  resided  on  the  property  now 
known  as  the  "  River  Farm,"  owned  by  Mr. 
Evan  T.  Croasdale.  He  was  a  German,  and 
came  to  the  country  a  few  years  previous  to 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  Dutot. 

It  is  said  they  seldom  met  without  dis- 
puting, but  how  they  managed  to  quarrel, 
when  neither  understood  the  other's  lan- 
guage, is  not  easily  explained.  That  there 
was  a  misunderstanding  is  quite  evident,  and 
that  unfortunate  condition  of  things  seems 
to  have  continued  after  both  began  to  be 
understood  in  the  same  dialect,  for  we  find 
in  later  years  that  Mr.  Dutot  was  indicted 
by  the  grand  jury  at  Easton  for  an  assault 
and  battery  on  the  person  of  Mr.  Hauser. 

The  version  given  of  the  affair  by  Mr. 
Dutot  before  the  court,  as  far  as  remem- 
bered, is  as  follows :  "  Mr.  Hause,  he  von 
grand  what  you  call  him — he  no  tell  ze  true; 
he  call  my  little  ceete  Hard  Scrah  (Hard 
Scrabble)  ;  then  I  say,  ^  Zounds,  Mr.  Hause, 
you  be  von  Hard  Scrab  yourself;'  then  Mr. 
Hause,  he  put  his  fist  in  his  hand  and  strike 
11* 


194  DELAWARE    WATER   GAP. 

me ;  then  I  lift  my  foot  and  I  strike  Mr. 
Hause." 

Soon  after  Mr.  Dutot's  settlement  here,  he 
made  selection  of  Sunset  Hill  as  his  last 
resting-place,  and  some  twenty  years  before 
his  death,  purchased  a  bell  and  cannon,  the 
former  to  be  rung  from  the  belfry  of  his  own 
house,  on  which  it  was  erected,  and  the  lat- 
ter to  be  fired  from  his  grave  when  certain 
events  transpired  affecting  the  prosperity  of 
the  place,  which  he  predicted  would  occur. 
Among  the  incidents  remembered  were  the 
completion  of  a  railroad  through  the  Gap, 
and  the  landing  of  a  steamboat  at  the  wharf 
he  had  made  selection  of  on  the  bank  of  the 
Delaware.  He  died  in  1841,  and  fifteen 
years  after,  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive 
was  first  heard  echoing  in  the  gorge  of  the 
mountain,  but  the  old  gentleman's  repose 
was  undisturbed  by  the  ringing  of  bell  or 
the  firing  of  cannon  over  his  solitary  and 
neglected  grave. 

The  cannon  long  since  exploded  in  salut- 
ing the  dawn  of  a  national  anniversary  from 
the  summit  of  Mount  Caroline.  But  the 
old  bell  is  this  morning  pealing,  in  unaltered 
tone,  from  the  belfry  of  the  old  stone  sem- 


FIRST   VISITORS.  195 


inary  at  Stroudsburg,  summoning  the  reluc- 
tant girls  and  boys  of  a  second  generation. 


First  Visitors. 

The  first  visitors  at  the  Delaware  Gap 
remembered  were  from  Philadelphia,  and 
about  the  year  1820.  At  that  time  there 
was  no  building  on  the  present  site,  except- 
ing the  hut  heretofore  alluded  to. 

Primitive  forest-trees  then  studded  the 
lawn,  and  an  occasional  traveller,  who 
wished  to  evade  the  payment  of  toll  on 
Mr.  Dutot's  better  road  along  the  river- 
bank,  passed  by  Mr.  Patterson's  solitary 
abode. 

These  first  visitors  sojourned  at  the  home 
of  the  writer's  father  in  the  village;  and  the 
names  of  Horace  Binney  and  Caleb  Cope 
are  among  those  remembered  by  his  mother. 

In  1832,  Samuel  Snyder  purchased  the 
property  with  the  view  of  making  it  a  place 
of  resort ;  and  to  his  memory  the  credit  is 
due  of  bringing  it  into  public  notice,  and  for 
giving  the  Kittatinny  House  a  character  for 
neatness,  cleanliness,  and  comfort,  that  has 


196  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

required  much  effort  on  the  part  of  his  suc- 
cessors to  maintain.  Mr.  Snyder  moved  here 
in  the  spring  of  1833,  and  enlarged  and 
completed  the  building  commenced  by  Mr. 
Dutot.  The  house  then  accommodated  about 
twenty-five  persons,  and  was  filled  the  same 
summer,  and  before  it  was  fairly  furnished. 
Among  his  first  guests  were  Mrs.  Swift,  Miss 
Cofiinan,  Caleb  Cope  and  family,  and  Gen- 
eral Cadwalader. 

William  A.  Brodhead  rented  the  Kitta- 
tinny  House,  and  moved  here  in  1841.  In 
1851,  he  purchased,  and  increased  its  capa- 
city to  accommodate  sixty  persons.  In  1853, 
it  was  again  increased  to  seventy-five.  In 
1860,  to  one  hundred  and  fifty.  In  1862, 
to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five;  and  in 
1866,  to  two  hundred  and  fifty. 

The  present  proprietor  rented  the  prop- 
erty in  1858. 


DURHAM   BOATS.  197 


Durham  Boats. 


Long  before  any  facilities,  other  than 
the  rough  wagon-roads  of  the  times,  were 
afforded  the  people,  both  north  and  south 
of  the  mountain,  for  the  transportation  of 
the  products  of  the  Valley  of  the  Delaware 
to  market,  the  old  Furnace  at  Durham,  on 
the  Delaware,  a  few  miles  below  Easton, 
had  constructed,  about  the  year  1770,  a 
class  of  boats,  somewhat  longer  and  nar- 
rower than  the  present  canal-boats,  and  in 
shape  resembling  a  weaver's  shuttle.  The 
deck  extended  a  few  feet  only  from  stem 
and  stern.  The  "captain,"  or  steersman, 
stood  on  the  stern-deck,  and  guided  the 
boat  with  a  long  rudder.  A  narrow  plank- 
ing on  either  side  afforded  the  walking-place 
for  the  pikemen,  who  with  long  poles  or 
pikes  propelled  the  boat  up  the  current. 

These  were  called  Durham  boats,  and 
soon  came  into  general  use  on  the  Delaware. 

They  were  used  as  early  as  1780,  by  John 
Van  Campen,  for  the  transportation  of  flour 
to  Philadelphia,  manufactured  from  wheat 
grown  in  the  Minisink.    Mr.  Van  Campen's 


198  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

mill  was  at  Shawnee,  and  stood  near  where 
Mr.  Wilson's  mill  is  now  located. 

"In  1786, one  Jesse  Dickinson  came  from 
Philadelphia,  and  laid  out  a  city  in  Dela- 
ware County,  New  York,  called  'Dickinson 
City.'  It  was  situated  near  what  is  now 
called  Cannonsville.  Mr.  Dickinson  brought 
his  men  and  building  materials  up  the  Dela- 
ware in  Durham  boats."* 

The  old  firm  of  Bell  &  Thomas,  at  Ex- 
periment Mills,  known  for  their  energy  and 
integrity,  and  pleasantly  remembered  by 
many  still  living,  used  the  Durham  boats 
extensively  in  their  day,  both  in  the  trans- 
portation of  flour  to  Philadelphia,  and  in 
'bringing  up  supplies  for  the  neighborhood. 

The  semi-monthly  arrival  of  these  boats 
at  "Armat's  Landing,"  in  those  days,  was 
an  event  of  much  greater  interest  to  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood  than  the  landing 
of  a  steamer  from  Europe  is  to  the  citizens 
of  Philadelphia,  at  the  present  day. 

The  boatmen  were  a  strong,  hardy  set  of 
men,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  their  laborious 
occupation.      The  "  captain,"  feeling  the  re- 

*  Gould's  History  of  Delaware  County. 


STEAMBOAT   "ALFKED   THOMAS."  199 

sponsibility  of  his  position,  bore  himself  with 
great  dignity,  especially  on  his  arrival  at 
"port;"  and  the  boys  who  collected  about 
the  wharf  when  the  vessel  hove  in  sight, 
were  terror-stricken  at  the  imperious  man- 
ner of  the  captain,  and  the  stentorian  tones 
by  which  he  commanded  all  alike,  on  board 
and  on  shore. 

After  the  completion  of  the  Delaware  di- 
vision of  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  the  Dur- 
ham boats  began  gradually  to  disappear,  so 
that  now  one  is  seldom  seen  on  the  waters 
of  the  Delaware. 


Steamboat  '' Alfred  Thomas, ^^ 

Mr.  Dutot*s  prediction  in  reference  to 
steamboat  navigation  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Delaware  is  not  yet  verified. 

The  attempt,  however,  has  been  made, 
and  but  for  the  unfortunate  occurrence  at- 
tending the  first  efibrt,  we  should  now  have 
the  pleasure  of  one  of  the  finest  excursions 
to  be  enjoyed  on  any  river  in  the  States, 
between  Belvidere  and  Port  Jervis. 

An  act  of  incorporation  was  granted  in 


200  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

1860  to  the  "  Kittatinny  Improvement  Com- 
pany," with  power  to  improve  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Delaware  Kiver,  and  "to  run  one 
or  more  boats  propelled  by  steam  or  caloric 
engines,  or  otherwise,  with  such  appurte- 
nances and  equipments  as  may  be  deemed 
adequate,  &c.,  between  the  head  of  Foul 
Kift  and  the  village  of  Matamoras." 

After  considerable  money  was  expended 
on  the  most  difficult  portions  of  the  river, 
an  experienced  committee  was  appointed, 
who,  after  examination,  pronounced  the  nav- 
igation between  the  points  named  entirely 
practicable. 

A  steamboat  was  accordingly  built  at 
Easton  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1860, 
called  the  "Alfred  Thomas,"  of  the  fol- 
lowing dimensions :  fourteen  feet  in  width, 
eighty-five  feet  in  length,  and  of  one  hun- 
dred tons  burden,  and  on  the  6th  of  March, 
of  that  year,  was  ready  for  the  previously 
arranged  excursion. 

"'  On  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  March, 
1860,  with  a  beautiful  Union  flag  flying 
from  her  upper  deck,  and  with  about  one 
hundred  persons  on  board,  including  the 
proprietors,  and  a  number  of  other  gentle- 


201 


men  from  Belvidere,  she  steamed  off  from 
the  boat-jard,  where  she  had  lain  so  long, 
and  passed  down  the  Lehigh  to  the  bosom 
of  the  Delaware,  where  she  was  destined. 
Crowds  of  people  lined  the  shores  of  the 
river,  watching  her  appearance,  and  a  beau- 
tiful sight  was  presented  as  the  gallant  little 
boat  ploughed  her  way  up  the  stream,  while 
crowds  on  the  shore,  as  well  as  those  on 
board,  cheered  heartily. 

"At  the  bridge,  which  she  reached  at 
noon,  the  steamer  stopped,  when  all  but 
about  thirty  on  board  got  off,  the  remainder 
intending  to  go  to  Belvidere,  where  the  boat 
was  expected  shortly  to  arrive,  and  where 
numbers  of  citizens  were  waiting  with  joy- 
ful anticipations.  .  .  . 

"  The  day  was,  indeed,  a  most  beautiful 
one,  and  the  navigation  of  the  upper  Dela- 
ware by  steam  seemed  truly  to  have  an  au- 
spicious beginning ;  but,  one  short  hour  suf- 
ficed to  bring  about  the  sad  change.  The 
engineer  ran  the  pressure  of  steam  up  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds  to  the 
square  inch,  when  it  should  hot  have  ex- 
ceeded eighty, — the  consequence  of  which 
was   the   explosion   of  the  boiler,  and   the 

18 


202  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

most  appalling  calamity  that  has  ever  oc- 
curred in  this  place  was  witnessed."* 

Thirteen  of  the  number  on  board  were 
killed,  or  died  soon  after,  and  several  were 
more  or  less  seriously  injured.  Among  the 
former  were  Judge  William  R.  Sharp  and 
Richard  Holcomb,  who,  with  Alfred  Tho- 
mas, were  the  original  projectors  of  the  en- 
terprise. 


First  Telegraphic  Messaffe  to  the  Dela- 
ware Water  Gap. 

"Message  No.  1. 

"Easton.  July  11th,  1855,  9  o'clock  a.  m. 

"  To  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  now  at  the 
Kittatinny  House  : 

"  The  Easton  office  takes  pleasure  in  be- 
ing the  medium  of  congratulation  to  you  on 
the  part  of  the  citizens  of  Easton  upon  the 
completion  of  the  lightning  line  to  the  '  Gap.' 
We  are  no  longer  separated  by  time  or  space ; 
and  we  heartily  and  most  cordially  salute 
your  introduction  into  the  great  magnetic 

*  Keporter  of  the  Easton  Daily  Express. 


RAILROADS.  203 

circle,  which  now  includes  almost  the  entire 
civilized  world.  Our  compliments  to  the 
heauiy  and  manly  gallantry  of  the  picturesque 
Gap, 

"  J.  L.  Mingle." 


Hailroads, 

The  Delaware  Water  Gap  is  reached  from 
Philadelphia  by  the  Philadelphia  and  Tren- 
ton Railroad,  and  Belvidere,  Delaware,  and 
Flemington  Railroad  to  Manunlca  Chunk,^ 
and  from  thence  by  the  Delaware,  Lacka- 
wanna, and  Western  Railroad.  From  New 
York  by  the  "  Central,  of  New  Jersey,"  to 
New  Hampton^  and  thence  by  the  Warren 
and  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna,  and  West- 
ern. The  last-named  road  passes  through 
the  gorge  of  the  mountain  and  along  the 
bank  of  the  river  at  the  base  of  the  cliff  on 
which  the  Hotel  is  situated.  It  runs  at  near- 
ly right  angles  with  the  Delaware  soon  after 
leaving  the  station  at  this  place,  and  follows 

*  The  Indian  name  of  the  range  of  hills  terminating  at 
the  station  was  Penungauchung,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  it  was  not  preserved  in  naming  this  station. 


204  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

up  the  windings  of  Brodhead's  Creek,  some 
ten  miles,  thence  through  a  wild,  picturesque 
country,  for  nearly  the  whole  distance,  to 
Scranton.  When  on  the  summit  of  the  Po- 
cono  Mountain,  which  is  gained  by  a  rapidly 
ascending  grade  from  the  river,  a  view  is 
afforded  of  great  extent,  variety,  and  beauty, 
and  is  worth  a  journey  over  the  road  to  wit- 
ness. 

A  wilderness  of  vast  extent,  covering 
thousands  of  acres  between  the  Pocono  and 
Blue  Ridge,  lies  before  you ;  and,  deep  below 
you,  a  valley  of  hills,  a  grand  foreground  to 
the  wonderful,  inimitable  picture  Nature  has 
wrought,  with  the  deep  mountain  gorge  in 
distant  perspective. 

This  view  is  obtained  immediately  after 
you  pass  through  the  tunnel  on  the  point  of 
the  mountain,  and  by  an  intimation  to  either 
of  the  gentlemanly  conductors  on  this  road, 
you  will  be  afforded  facilities  for  witnessing 
it,  that,  perhaps,  would  not  otherwise  be  ob- 
tained. 

The  Delaware,  Lackawanna,  and  Western 
Railroad  was  completed  in  1855,  at  a  cost, 
including  equipments,  of  over  12,000,000 
dollars.     The  total  length  from  Great  Bend 


SLATE    QUARRIES.  205 

to  the  Delaware  River  is  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  miles.  It  was  a  work  of  great  mag- 
nitude, and  is  a  monument  to  the  enterprise 
and  perseverance  of  its  original  projectors. 

The  Belvidere,  Delaware  and  Flemington 
Kailroad  passes  for  the  whole  distance,  from 
Trenton  to  Manunka  Chunk,  along  the  bank 
of  the  Delaware  River,  "  and  one's  eyes  sel- 
dom look  upon  a  more  enchanting  series  of 
landscapes  than  stretches  along  this  river, 
in  one  long  and  varied  line  of  beauty,  from 
New  Hope  and  the  Nockamixon  Rocks,  to 
the  Delaw^are  Water  Gap." 

This  road  possesses  the  reputation  of  ad- 
mirable management,  of  which  its  cleanly 
and  comfortable  passenger  cars  give  good 
evidence. 


Slate  Quarries. 

William  F.  Roberts,  Esq.,  of  Bethlehem, 
a  practical  geologist  and  mineralogist,  has 
kindly  furnished  the  following  interesting 
paper  on  the  slate  formation  at  the  Gap, 
together  with  other  matter  of  value  to  those 
interested  in  the  subject. 

18* 


206  DELAWARE    AVATER    GAP. 

"  The  geological  as  well  as  tlie  topograph- 
ical features  about  the  Water  Gap  of  the 
Delaware  are  full  of  interest  to  the  student 
of  nature.  Where  the  river  leaves  the  gorge, 
the  gray  sandstone  strata  rise  from  the 
water's  edge,  at  an  angle  of  55°  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  nearly  1600  feet.  These  rocks  are 
of  coarse  texture,  some  of  them  conglomer- 
ates, containing  white  quartz  pebbles,  of  large 
size,  interspersed  through  the  mass.  Rest- 
ing upon  these  layers  of  alternating  sand- 
stones, and  in  the  narrow  troughs  along  the 
summit  range  of  the  mountain  chain,  .are 
several  large  lakes,  in  elongated  form,  filled 
to  the  brim  with  clear  crystal  water,  some 
of  them  being  seventy  feet  deep,  and  all 
supplied  with  springs  on  the  spot.  From 
these  lakes  streams  tumble  down,  almost 
vertically,  in  places,  over  rocky  cliffs  and 
roughened  slopes  of  the  mountain  to  the 
valleys  below. 

"Immediately  beneath  the  silicious  rocks 
that  form  the  bold  escarpment  on  the  south- 
east side  of  the  mountain,  beds  of  roofing 
slates  exist.  This  zone,  which  is  continuous 
with  the  mountain  chain,  from  the  Gap  of 
the  Delaware,  into  New  Jersey  and  Penn- 


SLATE    QUARRIES.  207 

eylvania,  is  becoming  more  highly  appreci- 
ated, as  containing  a  valuable  mineral. 

*•'  According  to  historical  report,  the  first 
slate  quarry  ever  opened  in  America  was 
the  one  located  just  below  the  Water  Gap 
of  the  Delaware.  Bishop's  History  of  Amer- 
ican Manufactures,  vol.  ii,  p.  109,  says : 
'  In  March,  1804,  a  company  was  incor- 
porated for  obtaining  slate,  for  roofing  and 
other  purposes,  from  quarries  at  the  Del- 
aware Water  Gap.'  Some  two  or  three 
quarries  are  now  operated,  and  have  been 
working  for  many  years  past,  on  both  sides 
of  the  river,  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jer- 
sey, and  before  railroads  were  made  through 
that  country,  the  slate  was  sent  to  market 
on  rafts  down  the  river  in  times  of  freshets. 
These  quarries,  although  small  in  size,  have 
yielded  a  large  number  of  school  slates  as 
well  as  roofing,  and  these  articles  have  al- 
ways been  considered  equal  in  quality  to 
anything  of  the  kind  produced. 

"  As  early  as  1829,  these  slates  are  highly 
spoken  of  in  '  Hazzard's  Kegister.'  They  are 
blue  in  color,  free  from  impurities,  fine  in 
texture,  split  easily  and  smoothly,  are  strong 
and  durable;   and  although  these  quarries 


208  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

are  located  on  the  outliers,  or  rolls  from  the 
main  range,  they  have  been  very  profitable 
to  their  owners.  It  is  thought,  and  with 
good  reason,  that  the  slate  of  this  formation, 
after  taking  the  regular  mountain  dip,  where 
they  are  more  heavily  covered  and  com- 
pressed by  the  weight  of  the  superincumbent 
sandstone  of  the  mountain,  beneath  which 
they  dip,  will  be  more  solid,  more  perfect, 
and  more  valuable.  Although  quarries  were 
opened  in  early  times,  yet,  on  account  of  the 
cheapness  and  abundance  of  shingles  for 
roofing  purposes,  the  consumption  of  slate 
was  small ;  a  few  hands  only  were  employed 
in  the  business.  As  late  as  1844,  eight  men 
only  worked  in  slate  in  the  United  States ; 
while  in  Wales,  at  the  same  time,  some  tw^o 
thousand  hands  and  more  were  employed  at 
one  quarry ;  and  some  seventy  thousand  were 
engaged  in  the  same  region,  at  the  several 
quarries,  in  raising,  splitting,  and  preparing 
slate  for  market,  and  the  demand  for  slate 
in  Wales  now  is  far  greater  than  the  supply. 
The  AVelsh  quarries  are  yielding  an  annual 
profit  of  from  40  to  50  per  cent,  upon  the 
invested  capital.  The  Penrhyn  Quarries 
yield  a  net  yearly  income  of  $500,000  j  the 
Llanberris,  $350,000,  &c.,  &c. 


SLATE    QUARRIES.  209 

"  Slate  rock  is  beginning  to  be  used  and 
appreciated  for  a  great  many  other  purposes 
than  roofing.  It  is  used  for  mantels,  table- 
tops,  billiard  table-tops,  counter-tops,  door- 
sills,  window-jams  and  lintels;  shelves,  wash- 
boards, floors,  stairways,  flagging,  and  curb- 
ing ;  for  cisterns,  for  cellar  walls  and  floors ; 
for  drains,  and  for  various  other  useful  and 
ornamental  purposes.  It  may  not  as  yet 
have  been  brought  into  play  for  cradles,  but 
certainly  coffins  are  made  from  slate.  Slate 
can  be  sawn,  planed,  moulded,  carved  and 
polished,  the  same  as  wood,  and,  therefore, 
its  appliances  are  numerous,  and  the  increas- 
ing ingenuity  of  man  is  constantly  finding 
some  new  requirement  for  slate. 

"  It  is  not  improbable  that,  in  a  short  pe- 
riod of  time,  the  slate  range  contiguous  to 
the  Water  Gap  of  the  Delaware  will  be 
thronged  with  busy  artisans. 

"  It  is  astonishing  to  witness  what  slate 
has  done  and  is  doing  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Lehigh  Gap,  on  this  same  range.  It  has  there 
created  a  busy  nest  of  workmen,  and  built 
up  a  large  village,  and  still  the  work  goes 
on !  and  still  the  village  increases  in  size ! 
The  same  will  take  place  at  the  Delaware 


210  DELAWARE   WATER    GAP. 

Gap.  The  slate  is  tliere.  It  is  of  undoubted 
good  quality ;  in  good  position  for  opening 
large  quarries.  It  has  one  railroad  already 
built  on  the  Pennsylvania  shore,  and  an- 
other, a  competing  line,  will  run  up  the  Jer- 
sey side  of  the  Delaware ;  both  cross  the 
slate  range,  and  both  connect  with  the  At- 
lantic seaboard  cities  in  one  direction,  and 
the  great  lake  country  in  the  other.  Hence 
with  all  the  natural  beauties  and  wild  gran- 
deur which  the  Gap  of  the  Delaware  and  its 
mountain  gorge  presents  at  the  present  time, 
the  future  will  afford  other  and  great  attrac- 
tions in  the  slate  quarries." 


Slate  Factories. 

The  material  for  the  several  factories  in 
the  neighborhood,  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  school  slates,  is  supplied  from  the 
quarries  south  of  the  mountain.  It  is  taken 
from  the  quarry  in  large,  square,  or  oblong 
blocks.  The  stratification  and  cleavage  are 
at  varying  angles  with  each  other,  and  it  is 
both  interesting  and  instructive  to  witness 
these  massive  blocks  taken  out  by  skilful 


LETTER  FROM  THE  LATE  SAMUEL  PRESTON.   211 

quarrymen,  and  then  split  and  shaped  by  a 
few  well-directed  blows  with  proper  tools 
into  all  the  various  sizes  and  forms  required; 
its  divisibility  down  to  the  thickness  of  a 
sheet  of  pasteboard,  seems  only  limited  by 
the  skill  of  the  workmen.  The  splitting  is 
done  by  the  insertion  of  a  chisel  in  the  edge 
of  the  slab  (which  has  previously  been  soaked 
in  water),  dividing  and  subdividing  it  into 
equal  parts. 

At  the  factory  the  irregular  sides  are  cut 
by  small  circular  saws,  and  then  shaved  and 
smoothed  ready  for  the  frame.  The  first 
machinery,  for  sawing  and  framing  slate, 
used  in  this  country,  was  invented  and  in- 
troduced by  the  late  Samuel  Snyder  at  the 
old  "  clay  slate  factory,"  in  1826.  Previous 
to  this  the  work  was  done  by  hand. 


Letter  from  the  late  Samuel  Preston. 

An  hypothesis  of  the  formation  of  the 
Water  Gap,  is  given  in  the  subjoined  letter 
to  the  editor  of  Hazzard's  Register,  by  Sam- 
uel Preston,  Esq.,  of  Stockport : 

The  Water  Gap,  or  passage  of  the  DeLa- 


212  DELAWARE    WATER    GAP. 

ware  River  through  the  Kittatinny  or  Blue 
Mountain,  is,  perhaps,  the  greatest  natural 
curiosity  in  any  part  of  the  State. 

From  the  appearance  of  so  much  alluvial 
or  made  land  above  the  mountain,  there 
must,  in  some  former  period  of  the  world, 
have  been  a  great  dam  against  the  mountain 
that  formed  all  the  settlements,  called  Min- 
isink,  into  a  lake,  which  extended  and 
backed  the  water  at  least  fifty  miles,  as  ap- 
pears by  the  alluvial  or  made  land. 

What  height  the  dam  was  is  quite  uncer- 
tain ;  had  it  been  as  high,  or  half  as  high 
as  the  mountain,  the  water  would  have  run 
into  the  North  River,  on  or  near  the  old 
Mine  Road,  or  Hudson  and  Delaware  Canal. 

From  the  water-made-land,  and  distance 
that  it  appears  to  have  backed  over  the  falls 
in  the  river,  the  height  must,  on  a  moderate 
calculation,  have  been  between  one  hundred 
and  fifty  and  two  hundred  feet,  which  would 
have  formed  a  cataract,  in  proportion  to  the 
quantity  of  water,  similar  to  Niagara. 

By  what  convulsion  in  Nature,  or  in  what 
age  of  the  world,  that  dam  gave  way,  can 
never  be  known ;  but,  in  my  opinion,  from 
every  observation  that  I  have  been  able  to 


LETTER   FROM   THE   LATE   SAMUEL   PRESTON.     213 

make  in  so  frequently  passing  through  the 
Gap  by  water  and  land,  it  appears  that  the 
dam  must  have  been  sunk  into  some  tre- 
mendous subterraneous  cavern,  and  to  a 
depth  that  cannot  be  known  or  estimated. 
I  will  give  some  idea  of  the  size  of  what  the 
raftsmen  call  the  Water  Gap,  and  then,  my 
reasons  for  that  opinion. 

The  distance  through  the  mountain  is 
called  two  miles,  and  say  the  river  will  ave- 
rage near  half  a  mile  wide ;  the  water,  ap- 
parently as  still  as  a  mill-pond,  so  that  a 
raft  will  float  either  up  or  down  as  the  wind 
blows ;  as  to  the  depth  of  the  water,  I  have 
been  told  by  old  men,  that  formerly  they 
could  not  find  any  bottom  by  sounding  with 
the  longest  ropes  or  cords  they  could  ob- 
tain. 

Nicholas  Scull  was  esteemed  a  first-rate 
man  of  his  day,  as  to  science  and  general 
knowledge.  Ninety-eight  years  ago  he  was 
on  Depui's  Island,  and  from  the  vast  size  of 
a  hollow  button  wood  tree  and  apple  tree,  he 
concluded  that  the  water  must  have  been 
gone  one  thousand  years  or  more  for  trees 
to  have  grown  to  such  an  uncommon  size. 

We  may  reasonably  suppose  that,  before 

19 


214  DELAWARE   WATER   GAP. 

the  dam  sunk,  the  bed  or  channel  of  the 
river  was  of  the  same  alluvial  quality  as  the 
shores  and  islands,  and  that  the  water  has 
worn  the  channel,  or  bed  of  the  river,  by 
carrying  the  alluvial  matter  or  materials 
down  the  stream.  It  is  well  known  that  all 
such  particles  as  float  in  swift-running  wa- 
ter will  sink  in  eddies  or  still  water ;  and 
there  is  no  such  other  still  eddy  on  the  Dela- 
ware as  at  the  Water  Gap. 

It  is  an  obvious  fact  that  I  have  observed 
when  passing  on  rafts,  that  the  river  is 
always  abundantly  more  muddy  (or  riley, 
as  it  is  called)  above  than  below  the  Water 
Gap. 

Now,  let  us  consider  what  may  be  the 
probable  depth  filled  with  alluvial  material 
in  the  bottom  of  the  Water  Gap.  For  the 
first  1000  years  after  the  dam  sunk,  con- 
sidering the  wide  channel  that  has  been 
washed  for  the  bed  of  the  river  from  40  or 
50  miles  above,  two  feet  per  year,  on  an 
average,  may  be  a  moderate  conclusion ;  and 
two  feet  a  year  for  1000  years  is  333  fathoms 
on  the  top  of  a  dam  150  or  200  feet  high,  and 
98  years  ago  no  bottom  to  be  found  by  the 
longest  cords  that  then  could  be  procured ; 


LETTER   FROM   THE   LATE   SAMUEL   PRESTON.     215 

then  what  must  have  been  the  depth  of  the 
subterraneous  cavern  into  which  the  dam 
sunk? 

That  the  dam  sunk  in  such  a  cavern,  I 
take  for  granted,  otherwise  how  came  such 
vast  deep  water  in  the  very  place  where  it 
stood  ?  Stones  would  never  wash  out  from 
such  a  depth. 

Another  circumstance  that  I  consider  as 
proof  that  the  dam  sunk :  the  rocks  and 
stones  of  which  the  mountain  is  composed 
are  a  hard  granite  peculiar  to  that  place, 
and  no  stones  of  a  similar  quality  are  to  be 
found  in  the  river  below. 

If  any  persons  think  my  hypothesis  erron- 
eous, the  Water  Gap  will  not  run  away  ;  they 
may  go  and  examine  for  themselves.  It  is 
within  eighty  miles  of  Philadelphia;  good 
roads ;  a  spacious  tavern  on  the  west  side. 
There,  perhaps,  the  mountain  may  be  too 
steep  to  ascend.  On  the  north  side  is  a  vil- 
lage called  Dutotsburgh,  with  one  or  two 
taverns,  a  post-office,  &c. ;  from  thence  it 
may  be  ascended,  and  a  morning's  walk 
from  Dutotsburgh  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountain  would  be  a  promenade  of  the  high- 
est order. 


216  DELAWARE  WATER   GAP. 

From  the  pinnacle  is,  perhaps,  the  most 
extensive  command  of  prospect  of  any  place 
in  Pennsylvania.  It  would  be  a  profitable 
and  instructive  employment  for  some  of  the 
young  engineers  to  make  an  excursion  there; 
take  their  observations  as  to  heights  and 
distances ;  make  their  estimates  how  many 
millions  of  cubic  inches  have  caved  out  of 
the  mountain  to  form  that  chasm ;  draw  their 
perspective  views  and  landscapes.  Then 
.  they  would  unite  in  my  opinion,  that  the 
Water  Gap  and  vicinity  is  the  greatest  nat- 
ural curiosity  m  Pennsylvania. 

Samuel  Preston. 

Stockport,  June  20th,  1828. 

The  annexed  report  of  the  actual  measure- 
ment of  the  depth  of  the  river  in  the  Gap, 
made  by  Franklin  Peale,  Esq.,  somewhat 
disproves  Mr.  Preston's  estimate,  unless  we 
admit  a  very  rapid  filling  of  the  cavity  in 
the  bottom  of  the  river  in  the  preceding 
thirty-one  years.  Mr.  Peale  gives  the  great- 
est depth  at  45  feet.  A  few  years  previous 
to  this  measurement,  the  depth  was  ascer- 
tained to  be  60  feet. 


SOUNDINGS.  217 


Bxtract  from  the  JProceedings  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society, 

November,  1864. 

Mr.  Peale  communicated  a  record  of  a 
portion  of  134  soundings,  taken  by  himself, 
along  the  Delaware  River,  at  the  Water  Gap, 
begun  at  the  boat-landing,  near  the  old  Saw- 
mill above  the  Gap,  and  continued  below 
the  Gap,  a  distance  of  about  li  miles,  on  the 
4th  day  of  October,  1859 ;  the  river  being 
at  the  average  low- water  mark. 


At  intervals,  to  the  Bar, 


On  the  Bar, 


Middle  Channel, 


Feet. 

Inches. 

3 

4 

4 

4 

6 

4 

9 

4 

6 

4 

3 

9 

3 

2 

9 

3 

2 

9 

2 

3 

3 

6 

8 

6 

10 

8 

218  DELAWARE  WATER   GAP. 


Feet 

Inches. 

Opposite  small  house  on  the  Jersey  shore, 

9 

8 

9 

10 

6 

11 

12 

Opposite  Lover's  Leap 

13 

12 

9 

13 

Rebecca's  Well, 

15 
14 

6 

13 

6 

Old  house  on  Pennsylvania  side,     . 

14 

3 

Prospect  Rock, 

15 

16 

6 

17 

6 

18 

Poplars  on  Jersey  shore,          .... 

19 
21 

22 

9 

Above  Point  of  Rocks, 

23 

Sandy  Bottom, 

26 

28 

Rocky  Bottom,  which  runs  from  the  shore, 

reducing  the  depth,  as  follows. 

31 
24 
20 

6 

Thirty  or  forty  feet  further  east,      . 

27 

Point  of  Rocks, 

25 
26 
23 

Sandy  Bottom, 

20 

Indian  Mound,  Stony  Bottom, 

18 

Creek  Mouth  from  Dunfield's  Hollow,    . 

22 
21 

Sandy  Bottom, 

22 

Slate  Factory, 

21 

9 

19 

3 

20 

SOtJNDINGS. 

219 

Feet. 

Inches. 

Pennsylvania  Mountain,           .... 

21 

19 

6 

18 

17 

6 

16 

6 

Between  Pennsylvania  and  Jersey  Mountains, 

15 

14 

6 

13 

Outside,  or  below  Pennsylvania  Mountain,     . 

16 
17 

18 

6 

19 

6 

Muddy  Bottom, 

20 

21 

6 

23 

24 

Sandy  Bottom, 

27 
83 
35 

36 

6 

Jersey  Mountain  Kocks  dipping  at  a  steep  in- 

clination into  the  Kiver,        .... 

38 
31 

38 

6 

83 

30 

32 

6 

Sand  and  rocks, 

31 
33 

6 

Outside  the  Gap,  Sandy  Bottom, 

37 

6 

37 

- 

86 

36 

80 

220  DELAWARE   WATER   OtAP. 

The  river  decreases  regularly  in  depth  to 
the  rapids  below  the  Gap. 

Opposite  the  "  Indian  Ladder/'  in  a  cove 
near  shore,  several  soundings  were  made ; 
the  greatest  depth  of  water  was  found  to  be 
45  feet. 

Mr.  Peale  observed  that  marks  of  water 
action  were  observable  on  portions  of  the 
rock  at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the 
present  bed  of  the  river ;  but  if  the  theory 
of  erosion,  for  the  formation  of  the  Gap,  be 
accepted,  a  difficulty  is  presented  by  the 
depth  of  the  water  in  the  Gap,  as  shown  by 
the  soundings  in  the  foregoing  record,  and 
the  consequent  gentle  flow  of  the  current ; 
whilst  at  the  distance  of  one  and  a  quarter 
mile  above  and  five  hundred  yards  below 
the  Gap  the  rapids  occur,  with  insufficient 
water  to  float  the  rafts,  which,  consequently, 
are  obliged  to  wait  the  spring  and  fiill 
freshets. 

The  constant  rise  of  gas,  observable  from 
the  deepest  parts  of  the  water,  was  also 
adverted  to,  as  having  a  possible  action  in 
the  formation  of  the  Gap. 


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